


As Above So Below

by TheWaywardSong



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angel Katsuki Yuuri, Angel Victor Nikiforov, Angel Yuri Plisetsky, Angel! Victor learns to be human, Angels, Angst with a Happy Ending, Biblical References, Biblical Reinterpretation, Blow Jobs, Brief appearance from Cao Bin because I didn’t make JJ the villain, Catholic Guilt, Chris has to teach him, Cliffhangers, Demon Katsuki Yuuri, Explicit Sexual Content, Fallen Angels, Gayngel Awakening, Heaven, Heaven AU, I apologize in advance, Judas - Freeform, Liberties have been taken, M/M, Masturbation, Moral compasses don’t point north, Phichit Chulanont is a Little Shit, Plot Twist, Plot Twists, Sins of the flesh, Strippers & Strip Clubs, Stripping, Temporary Character Death, Wingman Christophe Giacometti, Wingman Phichit Chulanont, angel au, angel smut, there will be happy endings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-22
Updated: 2018-09-06
Packaged: 2019-04-26 13:43:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 37,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14403342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWaywardSong/pseuds/TheWaywardSong
Summary: Since the fall of Lucifer, Victor Nikiforov has proudly served as an angel. With his loyalty finally recognized, only a final task stands between him and the rank of Archangel: to assume human form and serve as a guardian angel on Earth to a dancer named Christophe Giacometti. Eager to prove his faith, Victor quickly finds that life on Earth is very different than life in Heaven, his assignment is not so eager to be saved, and there are other distractions to occupy his attention.Namely: one Katsuki Yuuri, who quickly captures Victor's heart, though he has secrets of his own.





	1. In the Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, this is an angel AU which means there will be some biblical references. While I did my fair share of research on religion (I'm sorry grandma, I wasn't asking about angel hierarchy because I'm joining a nunnery), I will be taking some liberties for the sake of the plot. 
> 
> I'd like to give an enormous THANK YOU to my phenomenal beta [fromstarlighttodust](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fromstarlighttodust/pseuds/fromstarlighttodust) because without you this fic would have been a stale mess that would have never left my computer. Thank you for keeping me inspired, helping my words make sense, and keeping my commas in check. 
> 
> Another thank you to [Catalists](http://catalists.tumblr.com/) for writing my summary, and making it engaging enough that all of you decided to give it a shot! If you thought that summary was great, check out her other phenomenal writing [here](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chrome/profile).
> 
> I'm so excited to share this little world I've been creating with you all, so without further adieu...As Above So Below.

_In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth. - Genesis 1:1_  


Victor was created from a cloud with a star for his heart by God’s own hand. Just a young Cherub, a servant to God and his Archangels, with long silver hair that nearly touched down to the clouds he walked on. He was as pure and virtuous as any of his celestial brethren, with a strong power of blessing and a heart shaped smile that endeared him to all.

Victor’s creation came after the falling of Lucifer, Heaven’s greatest tragedy. It was then that a few of the archangels elected to step down and raise the next birth of heavenly hosts, to prevent the dark thoughts that had corrupted those before them. Yakov was one of these archangels, who despite his own gruff demeanor had taken to Victor and watched him carefully, like a son.

Though Victor was by all accounts a good and proper angel, he had a sense of curiosity that Yakov tried desperately not to feed. However the less he answered the young Cherub’s questions, the more he seemed to have.

“Why did God create the Angels, Yakov?”

“Why do the cherubim have to keep record of everything that happens, doesn’t God already know?”

“Yakov, what is the unspeakable tragedy?” A young Victor of only a few hundred years, dared to ask.

Though Yakov knew the rules of the heavens were to not speak of Lucifer’s casting, he felt it would be the best way to warn Victor away from the dangers of his own curiosity. He brought Victor to the outskirts of the celestial city, where he knew no archangels would be roaming around to monitor their words, and told his young ward of Heaven’s first and only tragedy.

“Lucifer was God’s highest angel, and sat at his right hand,” Yakov had begun, as Victor’s wide blue eyes were trained to the sky. They laid atop a large cloud, Victor’s hair spread like a halo around him, as Yakov recounted the tale. “He served God for many millennia until he began to question the Lord’s decisions. He began to grow vain, and believed that he could be higher than God. The Lord cast him out of Heaven, for his heart had been overcome with wickedness.”

“When Lucifer was cast out of heaven, he was not alone. A score of angels followed him having lost their trust in their Creator and having built faith in Lucifer.

More angels than one had questioned God’s decision, why he would turn on his highest servant—they did not understand Lucifer’s shortcomings and the sin that had been born in his heart. The archangels, the messengers of God himself, had silenced these questions.  They urged their fellow angels to turn their back on the matter less they would choose to follow the fallen angel. Hundreds of thousands of angels had forsaken God and chosen to follow Lucifer, while the rest silenced their questions and remained in the kingdom.

Lucifer led them out in a blaze of light, each rejoicing in their own beauty and talents, forsaking the kingdom of heaven and all who remained inside.

Lucifer’s name was banished from Heaven—we call him Satan now, and you must never repeat these words that I tell you.”

Victor nodded, a determined frown across his brow. “Yakov, I could never be wicked like that. You’ve taught me too well.”

Yakov let a small smile slip onto his face as the young Cherub stood up before him and rested his forehead on that of the older angel. “One day I will be an archangel, just like you were, and I will serve the Lord with my music and my blessing!”

After that night, Victor made well on his promise, as he studied his music with an intense fervor. He made many beautiful offerings to God with his lyre, singing sweetly as he danced gracefully through the heavens, his words chiming in with the choral notes of the others. The angels and heaven were at peace once more when God created the humans.

At first Victor rejoiced at the birth of humanity, as did many angels, and he was fascinated by his new brothers and sisters on Earth. God and his archangels began to divide the angels into different factions, with different jobs; it was their duty to ensure Earth ran as planned.

Now much older, Victor became a virtue.  His music was too beautiful to be contained in the heavens, and his power of blessing too strong to be wasted on the menial tasks of the cherubim. The virtues once had bestowed their celestial blessing onto their Creator. Now, they were eligible to be assigned to these new children of God, these humans, who would receive their blessings.

All blessings were to go to God’s favorite children; born of dust and full of sin.

_ For God so loved the world that he sent his one and only son to save them. _

Victor was so blessed with music, it flowed from him as easily as taking a breath. When the humans were first created, he was delighted to share his blessing—for the world to celebrate the Lord with his gifts. He thought it was exciting that there would be another world, just like theirs in heaven, with new brothers and sisters to celebrate with.

He composed symphonies on his lyre to give as a gift to young pianists, allowing them to rise up to virtuosos. He allowed his own celestial voice to lighten that of a fresh-faced singer, giving them fame and adoration. He loved his humans as fervently as any virtue could; he celebrated their triumphs, cast silver tears at their failures, and when their short lifespans were finished, he allowed his heart to break.

Victor watched as God saved the humans, time and time again. The Lord sent floods to rid them of their own evil, and rainbows as covenants that the ungrateful humans would always break.

It was not always easy to be a virtue.  Too many times the children of God fell down terribly wicked paths, despite their angel’s efforts. Modern musicians, put Victor through such turmoil, and he felt responsible for their grim mistakes. Perhaps if he had not given these pop stars his gift, they might be better off. Safe from the drugs and risks that led them down a long winding path to a black heart. Dead before they had begun to age or barely living without their vices, Victor felt he might run out of tears to shed. He was thousands of years old, young for an angel, but he had begun to grow weary of this new pattern.

Victor watched as his contributions were sent to the ungrateful humans, who took such pride in his blessings as if it were their own design. A man did not make fire, nor did he write beautiful songs; new generations were not created at random, but the work of the heavens carrying out a larger plan. Did the humans understand none of this?

“Why must all of our gifts go to the humans, if they do not even appreciate them?” Victor asked quietly, as he sat perched on a chair in Yakov’s office, twisting the ends of his hair absently. Victor’s last human had just passed, only a week ago, and Victor had already been called to be reassigned to another. He had arrived early, as he rather enjoyed the immaculate office that was both made from and furnished in marble and gold.

“Back on your questions again, are we, Vitya? That’s no way to become an archangel,” Yakov responded in a gruff chime, though Victor knew him well enough to detect the underlying affection. Victor always thought it was funny to hear Yakov talk.  The language of the angels sounded like music, and most had voices like flutes or piccolos. Victor’s chime was like a sultry detaché on the strings of a violin, but Yakov’s was like the chastising, cranky note of a bassoon. It matched the grimace he always seemed to wear.

“It’s only a matter of time before I join the highest ranks, I’ve proven my worth,” Victor sighed, like a wind chime catching the slightest breeze, as Yakov looked back down to the mound of paperwork in front of him. It was verging on a sin of pride for Victor to put voice to his thoughts, as he was fully aware of his blessing capabilities. Very few Virtues were chosen to join the ranks of the Archangels, the servants to God himself, those who were permitted to pass through the Heavens and assume human form.

Victor knew it was his destiny to join them, if only so he did not have to watch another pop singer use his blessings to embrace sin and wickedness any longer. Victor would never say so, but he loathed his earthen brothers and sisters and found them undeserving of all the gifts he had sent throughout the years. He spent his days waiting on his invitation to the council, when he would be welcomed by Gabriel and Michael, perhaps even God himself. He would be of the highest in the heavens, under only God and the Seraphims, the four angels with faces so fearsome that no one but the Lord might look upon them. He would be able to go to Earth himself, and help the humans to see God’s light.  No longer would his blessings be wasted.

“Oy,” called out a voice, brash and piercing like a trumpet, more than enough to interrupt Victor’s train of thought. Its owner landed softly between two marble pillars that made up the entrance to the room, his short blonde hair loosening out of the small ponytail that tried to hold it back. Yuri waved his hand and a small pillar of clouds rose from the floor of Yakov’s rather immaculate office; he balled his hand into a fist, and the cloud tightened into a wingback chair.

“Your blessings are coming along nicely, my little cherub!” Victor mused as he watched the small angel slump into his handiwork. He stopped playing with his long silver hair, releasing it to fall at his back, and smiled encouragingly toward the blonde.

Yuri responded with a scoff that sounded a bit like the squawk of a bagpipe, “I’m a virtue now, old man. I haven’t done that baby stuff in decades!”

“Short time in the grand scheme of things,” Victor commented, tapping a single slender finger to his lips. He winked at the younger angel, whose face darkened further.

Yakov cleared his throat before Yuri could respond and with a wave of his hand, the papers flew off the desk and into their drawers, filing themselves like a deck of cards. “Yuri,” he began, a flick of his wrist sent a file from it’s drawer to the young angel’s lap. “This is your new assignment, his gift is...unique—he shows talent in photography but not in the classic sense, good with modern technology.  You can browse his portfolio yourself. Since you haven’t found your true blessing yet, it should be a good opportunity to find your essence of virtue.”

Yuri nodded excitedly, as his hands flipped through the pages in the file he was given. His head flicked up and his smile was determined, almost menacing with the way his hair had fallen in front of his face. His brash bravado made it hard to imagine that Yuri could make a proper angel, but he was as eager to serve as he was eager to be the best. Victor couldn’t help but smile to himself, recalling when a new assignment gave him that sort of delight.

“Victor,” Yakov began, waving a hand for the next file. Victor’s face fell as he watched the folder float gently out of its drawer.  It appeared thin and he wondered if there were any papers at all in it.

Yakov opened the folder, his face a mirror of the concerned look that Victor bore, “You are to see the Council of Archangels at once.”

~*~ 

The archangels were a collection of the most beautiful and sovereign angels to serve God.  Each had risen up the ranks, save for the few who had been by God’s side during Heaven’s only great tragedy. The archangels served many roles.  They were the caretakers of the humans and the messengers of God himself. They had each proven their devotion to their Father and were rewarded with a seat on the Council of Archangels.

The Council congregated in a beautiful golden coliseum on a large hill made of pink tinted sunset clouds, no doubt where the humans got their ideas of Mount Olympus with its Grecian gods. Growing up, Victor had stopped to admire the luxurious architecture.  Some of the saints who made it to heaven treated it as some sort of tourist destination, lining up along the steps of the hill to watch in awe as the highest celestial beings made their way in and out of the grand building.

As Victor stood at the cloud’s base and looked up to the glistening columns, he felt none of the awe or admiration that he had felt any time he had ventured to the coliseum before. Instead his stomach felt heavy, as if he had swallowed stones, his feet even more so as he willed them to trudge up the steps carved into the side of the cloud. Ever the drama queen, he refused to use his wings, taking his time with his climb as if it were a punishment.

Being called to the council could mean a number of things but Victor just knew he had been finally called to join the highest ranks, though his stomach betrayed his confidence with its incessant churning. It was his destiny after all, his blessings were strong and though he had questions along the way, he never voice them and he never strayed from the most pious path. He had waited for millennia for this moment, though nothing could prepare him for feeling of anticipation as he trudged the steps carefully. When he finally arrived at the top of the hill, Victor could hear the light chorus of angelic hosts that awaited inside and his nerves spiked, diluting his senses until he felt numb.

His steps continued, his feet no longer heavy but instead moving autonomously as if controlled by a higher power. His eyes took in the marble corridor as he entered the council chambers, though his brain refused to process anything. His mind continued racing, though he couldn’t hear his own thoughts, until his bare foot (Victor had always hated the sandals so many angels wore), touched the cold tile that he knew marked the floor of the council—the only place in heaven where angels were permitted to pass judgement on their own.

Victor’s head snapped to attention, his brain suddenly firing on all circuits as feeling came back to his limbs.

He stood in the back of the circular room, below the rows of archangels that sat in the golden seats above him. At the front of the room was a grand marble table with three large seats, the center of which was nearly double the size of those to its sides, the chair of God, which was left empty. Two archangels sat in the other chairs, their faces serene and stunning.

“Welcome, Victor,” boomed the baritone of the angel to the right, a handsome face with hair in dark waves, perfectly coiffed. He stood from his chair and extended an open hand toward the other end of the room. The dull roar of the angels fell silent as each ethereal face turned to watch the newcomer take slow steps forward with a frozen smile.

Victor reached the center of the room and knelt before the marble table, casting his head down so his flowing silver hair cascaded to touch the floor.

“Please, rise,” Called out the angel who had spoken before. Obediently, Victor rose to his full stature, adjusting his white robes as he removed himself from the floor. He assumed a position like a military soldier, hand behind his back and chest proudly lifted, though his hands betrayed his façade as they trembled behind his back.

The archangel sunk into his large chair and swung his hand down towards the marble table before him.  Halfway through the swing, a gavel materialized and gave a firm  _ knock _ . He fixed a glass smile on his face before addressing the Council, “I, the Archangel Gabriel, call to order this session of the Council and welcome the young Virtue Victor to our company.”

He paused for a brief welcoming applause from the angels seated in the rows, before continuing, “Victor, you have served faithfully since the great tragedy, when you were born to us from God’s own hand. You performed your duties as a Cherub without complaint, and played beautiful music on your lyre, offering your blessings to our earthen brothers and sisters. You have rejoiced in mankind’s triumphs, and felt sorrow for their mistakes—my brethren, this is an angel of the highest mark.”

Applause erupted from the stands, and Victor’s nerves turned to pride as a blush crept over his cheeks. His bright blue eyes remained focused straight ahead, not wanting to seem unworthy or daunted by the praise.

“Victor, it is my great pleasure to invite you to join the highest ranks of heaven with the Archangels!” Gabriel announced, rising from his seat again as he smiled brightly down. Gabriel was a messenger of God, and seemed to revel in every word that came out of his own mouth as if it was the Lord’s message, even if the applause was for another.

The angel that sat on the left side of God’s chair rose, a bemused smile playing at his lips as though he was used to his colleague’s behavior. He paused a moment for Gabriel to take his seat and until all eyes in the room rested on his serene countenance.

“Congratulations, Victor,” he began, his tone smooth and soft—a direct contrast to his counterpart. “I, the Archangel Michael, am pleased to welcome you to our ranks.”

“As it is written, God works for the good of those who love him—you must prove once more your devotion to God and your faith in all things pure and kind. The Earth is filled with sin, Victor. Archangels must face the sins and temptations of the Earth, as we are allowed to pass between our world and that of the humans. You must be unshakeable, unwavering in your faith, never giving in to the sins of the flesh for they will consume you.”

“Each angel in a seat today has proven their faith and love for our Father. Now so shall you. You will be assigned to human, who will fall under your guardianship, and venture to Earth to have your faith tested. Victor, I rejoice for you. You shall learn firsthand the interesting character of humankind, and discover your own blessing manifestation. You will learn to protect the humans by learning what makes them so special in the eyes of the Lord. After you learn this, we will welcome you home with open arms and you shall join the ranks of the archangels.”

Michael closed his eyes, a soft smile still on his lips, his hands folded neatly in front of him. The angels around the room stood and assumed a similar position, even Gabriel stood calm and serene.

“We would like to bless you with the power to assume human form, and pass through the realms of Heaven and Earth,” Michael explained, eyes closed as he raised his hands to the ceiling and continued in a booming voice that rivaled even Gabriel’s bravado, “my brethren let your blessing be heard-

_ Damus vobis fortitudinem nostram, fides nostra et spes nostra. Sit amor hominis vobis invenire requiem tibi, et locavit eam in semita ad justitiam. Fiat lux vestra virtutem in cordibus vestris in qua tenebras mundi.” _

Victor felt their words like fire, burning a course through his skin to his heart. He fell to his knees in awe, as the angels around him sang their chant; their eyes opening to reveal a hot white glow, their hands reaching out to bless the silver haired angel. His heart strained at the thought of his responsibility and though his mind was racing with the unknown, the words of the archangels filled him with a sense of purpose.

It was over only moments later, all of the angels but Gabriel and Michael collapsed back into their chairs. The two high archangels looked at Victor with faint smiles, and it was Michael who closed the council’s session.

“Victor, we believe that faith shall be on your side.  You will leave through Heaven’s gate at Earth’s next dawn, and we shall expect you back to us within the turn of the year.”

Victor nodded, allowing himself to fall into a final bow before he took leave of the Council. He was careful to walk slowly as he exited the chambers, catching the eye of a few cherubim camped just outside the corridor, no doubt ready to collect documentation of the event.

As he approached the steps, he let his feet carry him fast, faster, and faster still until he leapt into the air, his wings unfurling as he took flight. He soared through the sky, whooping at the angels he passed below. Several turned to look up as he tucked his wings in and spun higher into the clouds above them.

Victor felt free, as if a giant weight had been removed from his shoulder.  He had done it. His entire life, the thousands of years spent as a dutiful cherub and the hundreds of thousands spent using his blessings for the humans, had been leading up to this. 

Victor had wanted to become an archangel for as long as he could remember, even before Yakov had told him the story of Lucifer’s falling. He hadn’t thought past what he would do once he achieved his goal, however, and thought he was still riding high on the elation of the council meeting—he noted that there was a certain emptiness lingering under the excitement. 

He made a purposeful effort to push down the other emotion.  What a ridiculous feeling, Victor was certain that becoming an archangel would be his crowning achievement.

After all, what could be more fulfilling than servitude to the kingdom of Heaven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for taking your time to read this, I hope you are as excited for Victor's adventure on Earth as I am. The next chapter is already written and will be next week, featuring Victor's first weeks on Earth and meeting Christophe Giacometti.
> 
> The cover art for this chapter is my own work; if you'd like to see more of it, let me know what you thought of the fic, or just scream with someone about some YOI-feel free to find me on Tumblr: [TheWaywardSong](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/thewaywardsong)
> 
> Here are just some notes about this chapter:
> 
> There are actually seven types of angels and they all play very different roles in heaven. While not all elaborated on in this fic, they definitely played a part into this version of heaven. 
> 
> The Latin chant during the Council's blessing of Victor is translated (roughly) as:
> 
> We give to you our strength, our faith, and our hope. May you discover the love of mankind and let it guide you on the path to justice. Let the light of your virtue guide you in the darkness of the world. 
> 
> Again, I would like to add the disclaimer that while I wanted to give this Heaven and world authenticity, there are some liberties taken for the sake of the plot. In other words, I am not an expert on religion!
> 
> Thank you again, dear reader, for giving this fic a shot and I'll see you next week!


	2. The Heavens and The Earth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor finds life on Earth more difficult than expected. (Pants were definitely not as comfortable as his flowing tunic!) At least he found someone to teach him the ways of the humans, the adjustment process might not be so painful after all.

_The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and withers, the heavens languish with the earth. The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt._

_Isaiah 24:4-6a_

The first thing Victor noticed about Earth, was the variety of the architecture and the people. Due to the nature of Heaven, there was not much diversity. Every angel had a perfectly symmetrical face and everything else about them was effortlessly perfect as well. Even the buildings had been clean cut and built with luxurious material such as marble and gold. To be surrounded with new colors, textures, and faces was surprising to Victor, who had to keep reminding himself not to stare.

  
He had been on Earth for a few hours now, enough time to get settled into the apartment that the archangels had secured for him. He was staying in a quaint one bedroom loft that was situated above a business downstairs. Victor wasn’t entirely sure about the nature of the business since it was closed when he arrived, but had plans to pop down this evening if he saw it open. He thought that would be a good way to get acclimated to his surroundings, though so far the process hadn’t been as treacherous as it could have been.

  
Yakov and Yuri had delivered Victor to Heaven’s gate and, under the watchful eye of Georgi, said their goodbyes. Yura’s goodbye had been short, thought Victor could tell that when the boy told him not to get himself killed, he had really meant it to mean I’ll miss you. Yakov’s goodbye had been exactly what the Virtue would expect from his mentor: a full monologue detailing the dos and don’ts of life on Earth, coupled with a firm handshake and a warm smile.

  
Just as Victor was about to cross over from one realm to another, Yakov called out to him.

  
“Don’t forget your teachings, Victor. Even down there, it’s important to remember yourself.”

  
Victor smiled at the advice and stepped off the edge of heaven.

  
Georgi, the angel who guarded Heaven’s gate, had plopped Victor down in the center of an enormous city filled with tall buildings that seemed to stretch to the heavens. He had been given instructions to wave down an all black vehicle that claimed to be a taxi, though when Victor slid in to the back seat he was surprised to recognize the face in the driver’s seat as Mila, an angel he had known from his cherub days. Before Victor could ask, she explained that she became a guardian angel for new archangels.

  
“Just hail a cab if you need something,” she remarked with a wink to the rear view mirror. She managed to get Victor to his new apartment, and it was here that he got the first look at his human form.

  
Angels did not have mirrors, for the higher ups believed it to be a path leading to the vanity of Lucifer. An angel might steal a look at themselves in the reflection of a golden panel, or catch a glimpse of themselves in a still pool of liquid, but there were certainly no mirrors. An angel could wake up every morning looking as if they had not only been up for hours, but had managed to visit the salon as well. Because of this, Victor knew what color his hair and eyes were and imagined that he had a handsome face like some of the other angels he saw, but he knew nothing of his physical appearance past that.

  
When he saw himself for the first time in a human mirror, he was blown away. He rested a hand on the glass while the other one ran across his high cheekbones and chiseled jaw. The angel ran his fingers through his long silver hair and for the first time in his millennia of life, found that it tangled around them. He looked back at his reflection and met his own clear, blue gaze with both shock and a small feeling of adoration that he imagined might be pride.

  
He would try and remember the minor sin for later, but he had immediately redirected himself and set to work exploring his new abode. Victor ran from room to room, opening drawers, closets, and cabinets. As he ransacked his own closet, he held up a pair of pants with disdain. _I can’t imagine these are comfortable_ , he thought as he reached an arm through one of the legs. Victor hadn’t brought any of his own belongings with him from Heaven, since he had always used his blessing to get by.

  
After thoroughly tearing apart his apartment and putting it back together again, Victor stood on the street just below his loft, wearing an outfit he had tried to mimic after the pop stars and musicians he had been responsible for blessing over the years. He felt uncomfortable wearing so many layers (namely the underwear that he knew to be an important human custom) instead of his tunic, but he believed he had managed to dress himself sharply enough to blend in. After much debate with himself he had managed to select a pair of tight, denim pants and a crisp, pink shirt that matched the clouds painted by that evening’s sunset. He had slung a black sport coat on his shoulders and though the sun was nearly setting, wore a pair of mirrored aviator sunglasses.

  
He hadn’t managed to do much with his hair besides brush it, his long hair was beginning to prove difficult now that he had to put an effort in it. He briefly wondered if he should cut it short like the human men, when he found his hand on the door of his downstairs neighbor. The business appeared to be open, he had felt the light pulse of music echoing in the stairwell of his loft.

  
As Victor let himself in, he could barely find one thing to focus on and his brain rapid-fired to process his new surroundings. The business turned out to be a casual sort of nightclub, something incredibly unfamiliar to the angel whose idea of a party was a formal gathering that took place in the house of God. The main room that Victor stepped into was dimly lit except for the brighter soft blue lighting, which flickered through in time to the music pulsing in the background. There was a dull roar in the room, but the night was still young enough that the noises from the chatter and the music were at peace with each other. Victor was relieved as he had already dealt with plenty of crowds just making it to his apartment that morning.

  
The angel made his way through the tables, turning plenty of heads as he did so, toward a slab of granite in the back which served as the bar. He noticed a few bowls that appeared to have assorted nuts and chips in them and, as if on cue, his stomach rumbled its suggestion. Victor had nearly forgotten that his new body would demand food. It was more of an indulgence for angels, their nectar and ambrosia was often consumed for celebration rather than sustenance.  
The Virtue slid into a stool, pausing in a moment’s frustration to remove his hair that had caught underneath him. _I’ll have to do something about that_ , he chided himself, as he reached for a helping of salted nuts. He savored the new taste experience, closing his eyes and letting a soft hum escape his lips.

  
“You must be really hungry.”

  
Victor’s eyes popped open to find a human staring at him from the other side of the bar top. It took a moment before the thought occurred that the human was addressing him and the angel stumbled a bit for words. “I’m sorry, I—I haven’t had anything to eat yet today,” Victor apologized.

  
“We have better food than day old nuts. I think some of those are leftover from last night, actually.” The human eyed Victor, and the angel took this as an invitation to do his own surveying. The human was good looking as far as humans go. He had a gorgeous tan, and his hair was a smattering of waves that were significantly lighter and longer on top. His rather entrancing green eyes were narrowed as he studied Victor, and when he spoke his deep voice was a bit startling.

  
“I’ll get you my favorite, you look like you could use it. Chris, by the way.” The man introduced himself with a wink before disappearing out a door behind the bar.

  
While Victor let himself survey his surroundings once more, Chris reappeared behind the bar and began to clink some glasses around before brandishing a platter of meats and breads, alongside a small pot of bubbling cheese.

  
“Fondue,” the bartender explained, noting Victor’s expression as he set a glass of white wine beside the meal. “Nice and heavy if you haven’t eaten today. Goes well with that Chardonnay, on the house to try it out.”

  
Victor plucked a piece of bread, swirling it into the gooey cheddar which clung to the surface. As he popped it in his mouth, his eyes widened.

  
“ _Vkusno_!”

  
“You’re Russian?”

  
“Ah—,” Victor isn’t actually sure where the language came from. Yakov had explained that the Archangel’s blessing would give him an basic understanding of most languages, with a similar ability to speak them.

  
“Your brain will probably favor one language more than the rest, but you’ll be able to get by,” his mentor had explained on their morning’s trip to the gates.

  
Victor slowly nodded in response to Chris’ question, and the other man grinned. “I figured as much from that accent of yours. I’m Swiss myself,” he explained.  
The angel’s brow furrowed slightly, he had been pleasantly surprised to hear his human voice for the first time. Though he missed his angelic melody, it wasn’t plausible for speaking the humans’ complicated languages. He supposed his brain must have chosen to favor the Russian language and gave a silent thanks that he was still able to communicate. He wondered to himself what language he was speaking now, as his lips automatically translated his words.

  
“Thank you for the meal, it’s kind of you to feed a stranger. I live just upstairs actually,” Victor offered his gratitude in between bites of the meal, as the club began to fill behind him. He understood that Chris wasn’t technically his neighbor, but he thought it would do him some good to be on friendly terms with the business below him.

  
As he opened up, the bartender reciprocated the goodwill and Victor learned several things about Chris over the course of the following hours:  
One, he was a terrible flirt and every man or woman that came up to the bar left with a blush on their cheeks. Chris’ tip jar had been overflowing before the late rush had begun to hit. Victor was equally to surprised to find himself hit on throughout the night by nearly everyone who approached the bar. He hadn’t forgotten the face he saw in the mirror but he was startled by the effect it seemed to have on humans.

  
Two, Chris had come to the city to go to school, but had stayed to dance and had begun bartending on the side for extra cash. He showed Victor a picture of his hometown in Switzerland and Victor made up a loose not-lie about his own home. “It’s very grand, everything is made of the finest materials, and the people there are hard working to deserve it,” Victor explained, though it made Chris suspect that his bar guest may in fact be a sort of Russian Diplomat. From his regal speech pattern, to the larger than life description of the city, he definitely wasn’t a local.

  
The third thing, which was arguably the most important thing Victor had learned during his first night on Earth, was that Christophe “Chris” Giacometti was Victor’s assignment.

  
—

  
Victor was a bit ashamed of himself that he hadn’t realized it sooner. He had been so caught off guard by the new surroundings of the nightclub, combined with the new sensation of hunger, that he hadn’t made the connection that the man he was speaking with was exactly who had been described in his file. It made sense that Chris worked the bar below Victor’s apartment, and Victor had no doubt that the archangels had planned it as such when they secured the loft for his assignment.

  
Though Yakov had informed Victor that he would be allowed to reveal himself to one person while he was here on Earth, the angel hadn’t thought that the first week of meeting his assignment would be a good time to do that. He spun a small story that he was not from the country, which was easy enough given the accent he had been blessed with, and that he was here looking for work.

  
“I’m a musician,” he told Chris the first night that he sat at the bar top. The Swiss man had been excited by the news, given that he was an upcoming dancer. The two had quickly bonded and Chris was instrumental in helping Victor to secure a job interview at a piano bar down the road.

  
“If you’ve really been playing piano for your entire life, you’ll be a shoo-in. Can make some great tips from what I’ve heard too,” Chris had mused when he gave Victor the bar owner’s contact information. The angel managed to suppress his smile, he was certain that he would be overqualified given his millennia of experience.

  
The first few days, Victor waited in his apartment all day, spending the time watching TV and reading the newspaper subscriptions that the archangels subscribed him to. It was a good start to learning his new surroundings, but the true vault of information had been unlocked the day Chris took him to town to get him a cell phone. Since angels communicated through their blessing, it wasn’t something that had occurred to the council as a necessity for Victor to have. When he got back, Victor would have to suggest otherwise.

  
Chris showed him all the necessary applications: Snapchat, Instagram, and even suggested he get a YouTube account. “If you’re going to be pursuing music, you have to get yourself out there! You’ll never get anywhere stumbling into new countries and working in piano bars.”

  
Victor had smiled at the advice, which he found hilarious given the circumstances, but obliged anyway. Chris helped him to take his first selfie to post on his Instagram account. It had taken several tries for Victor to learn how to hold the phone and a few more for him to remember to smile while he was taking the photograph.

  
“I can’t believe you’ve never owned a phone or taken a selfie before—what part of Russia did you say you were from again?”

  
Victor had ignored the question with more of his own as he attempted to post the photo on his new account. “Chris, what do these symbols mean? What is a ‘tag’?”

  
Liked by **christophe-gc** , and 2 others  
**v-nikiforov** **@** _christophe-gc_ Thanks for the selfie instructions! # _firstpost_

The most shocking thing that happened during Victor’s first week, was his hair cut.

“You’re sure about this right?”

“Chris, I got it caught on a door knob and I can’t go into my interview like this! I don’t know how to take care of hair like this, I never had to in— back where I’m from.”

Victor loved his long hair, and had tried looking up hairstyling tutorials on YouTube like Chris suggested. The girls in the videos made it look so simple, but Victor hadn’t even managed to make a fishtail braid. The time had come for the angel to get the chop.

Victor sat on a stool in the middle of his kitchen while Chris brushed through the long silver locks. Then, scissors in hand, the two men’s eyes locked n the mirror they had propped up on the table.

“Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” Victor groaned. He closed his eyes and he could hear the sharp snip of the scissors. He felt the weight of his hair fall away, but kept his eyes closed throughout the entirety of his haircut. Thankfully Chris made relatively quick work of the project, he told Victor that he had been doing his own undercut hairstyle for years and was rather skilled with a buzzer.

When he finished, Victor felt a tap on his shoulder. “Alright, open your eyes and tell me what you think.”

The angel cautiously opened one eye, and then the other. It was the first day on Earth all over again, seeing himself in the mirror. Chris had buzzed his hair down short, so he could just barely run his fingers through it, but had left him some bangs that hung down to brush over one of his eyes. Victor couldn’t help but think he looked older, less like a cherub and more like a man.

“Well? Your silence is killing me, _mon cher_.”

“I love it, thank you!” Victor grinned, turning back to flash a bright, heart-shaped smile to his stylist. “Does this call for a ‘selfie’?”

Chris nodded, and confirmed that this would be considered “instagrammable,” which he also explained to Victor. The angel pulled out his phone to snap the picture, flashing a peace sign while Chris held up the scissors and long locks of silver hair in the background.

Liked by **christophe-gc** , **phichit+chu** , and **5 others**  
**v-nikiforov** Going for a new look  
Stylist: @ _christophe-gc_  
# _freshhair_

Victor learned that Friday nights were the most exciting of the entire week, and since he had arrived on a Sunday afternoon, and Chris had his dancing gig the following Friday, it was two weeks before Victor got to experience the real night life of the club.

—

Chris waved from the bar when Victor stepped through the doors just after 9 o’clock. The angel made his way through the growing crowd, still weary of all the heads turning to admire him, to the stool off to the far right of the bar. It had proven the most convenient place to perch and talk to Chris throughout his shift, without being in the way of other patrons.

“You’re wearing the shirt!” Chris cheered, as his new friend settled in. The pair had gone shopping for some night clothes, as the archangels had furnished Victor’s closet with mostly plain colors and simple patterns. Victor had wanted to expand his style since he had spent years watching his highly fashion-forward pop stars walk the red carpets. That Friday night he had donned a shirt Chris had picked out, a blue button down with a pointed collar that had light blooms of pink flowers worked into a swirling navy pattern. He had on a grey jacket over it, paired with a pair of particularly tight fabric pants that Chris had promised _accentuated the peach_ , whatever that meant. Sometimes Victor wondered if the language blessing had really worked, since there were occasions that the angel could not understand the Swiss man’s words.

Victor was pleased at his new friend’s excitement, and stood up from his stool to give a little turn before sitting back down. Chris clapped and set a glass of wine on the bar top, “Nothing harder tonight? It is Friday after all.”

Alcohol wasn’t considered a sin, but Victor had watched enough of the pop stars he blessed to know that the consumption of it could lead to it. He waved away the suggestion with a noncommittal, “Maybe later.” He had already been surprised at the buzz in his head from one glass on human wine—the Chardonnay from his first night had rendered him a bit more senseless than the angel had expected. Chris had been surprised that a Russian would have such a low alcohol tolerance, and his questions about Victor’s origins only doubled.

The bar was picking up, giving Chris plenty of work to do and leaving Victor to entertain himself. Even though he was coming into two weeks on Earth, he still enjoyed watching people interact. His eyes bounced from table to table, watching young couples on dates and a few congregations that were beginning to move to the dance floor. He was starting to get used to the crowds of people that tended to loom wherever he went and wondered if all of Earth was this overpopulated.

The stage was being set for the Friday night headlining act and there was now a bouncer at the door letting people in slowly. Bored with the current crowd, Victor leaned back against the bar and watched the groups being ushered inside. He wasn’t waiting for long, when _he_ stepped through the door.

At first Victor didn’t notice him, standing behind his friend. The friend seemed to have an exuberant personality, clapping the bouncer on the back and stopping to greet several people as he made his way towards the bar. However, it was the man trailing behind that had caught Victor’s attention.

The pair in question were two men, one appearing to be of Thai descent, and the other Japanese. They sat up at the bar top, just a few seats down from Victor’s stool. The Thai man immediately started waving for Chris, while his friend looked down in his lap. The Japanese man’s face looked soft and delicate with a symmetry Victor hadn’t seen since he left Heaven. His hair, jet black with violet and blue hues that caught the light, was slicked back with only a few stray hairs escaping the pomade. His eyes were cast down to the floor, but when he did glance up and let the light catch them, they revealed themselves to be a soft brown.

“Victor,” Chris said for the fourth time, though it was the first time it had registered with the angel.

“Oh—! I’m sorry, yes?” Victor cleared his throat and snapped his head towards the bartender. He hadn’t realized he had been staring so blatantly, with his head propped on his hand like a love struck schoolgirl.

“Slide down, I want you to meet someone,” Chris instructed, waving his friend along until he stopped directly in front of the very pair Victor had been staring at.

“This is Phichit, he dances with me,” Chris explained, gesturing to the Thai man.

“And you’re Victor!” Phichit exclaimed, setting his phone down to extend his arm. Victor obliged, letting the handshake turn to a quick hug.

“I’ve seen your Instagrams with Chris! I thought he was going to keep you all to himself,” Phichit babbled. The man spoke so fast that Victor had some trouble keeping up, all the while not hesitating to break any sort of personal bubble the angel might have had. “Wow, you’re really good looking too! I wondered if it was just the filters, but these eyes—has Chris asked if you want to come dance with us yet? Because you would make a killing!”

“Phichit,” Chris warned, he was still busy enough behind the bar but kept walking by to manage his friend.

“Oh, Yuuri!” Phichit broke off from his current train of thought and grabbed his friend’s shoulder. “I can get carried away, you’ll have to excuse me. Yuuri, meet Victor.”

The Japanese man, Yuuri, put his phone down on the bar and cast a casual glance over at Victor. When Victor had been admiring him from afar he had been mostly sure, but as Yuuri’s dark gaze met his own he was positive:  
_Yuuri was the most beautiful human he had had ever seen._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RIP to long haired Vitya, we love you but human hair does not defy the laws of nature.
> 
> As always, an incredible thank you to my beta [FromStarlightToDust](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fromstarlighttodust/profile) for loving this story as much as I do and working with me to save you from the commapocalypse. 
> 
> There will definitely be plenty of Yuuri/Victor dynamic in the next chapter, and Victor learns what kind of dancing these boys really do!
> 
> Feel free to come find me on [Tumblr](https://thewaywardsong.tumblr.com/) where I post fic updates as well as my art, and plenty of other YOI content.
> 
> Thank you my dear readers, your support means the world to me!


	3. Sins Of the Flesh

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of things are different down on Earth: anatomy, entertainment, and a brand new set of urges. Victor learns what kind of dancing his new friends do and discovers firsthand the sins of the flesh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **PLEASE READ**
> 
> Hello my wonderful readers, please note that this chapter brought with it a rating change. We hit Explicit, but if you would like to avoid this part just avoid the scene between the — breaks!
> 
> As always thank you to my wonderful beta [FromStarlightToDust](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fromstarlighttodust/pseuds/fromstarlighttodust), who also helped come up with stripper names and determine the technicality of sins. Seriously, the absolute best and I can never thank you enough for all you do for me!

_ Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. _

_ Galatians 5:19-21 _

Victor wasn’t sure exactly what it was about Yuuri that had him so infatuated.  The man had kept to himself that first half of the night at the bar, letting Phichit take the wheel for the majority of the conversation.

 

It wasn’t until the end of the night that Victor had gotten a chance to really speak with the object of his attentions. Phichit had retreated to the the restroom and Chris had a full bar rail, so the two were left as alone as they could be on a busy Friday night in a crowded bar. 

 

“So, you dance too?” Victor asked softly. He felt like he was addressing a wild rabbit that might dart off in an instant, a feeling that only intensified when Yuuri’s eyes locked on his, pupils blown in the dim lighting.

 

“Yes, I’m a dancer,” he replied. His voice was lower than Victor expected, fragile like the thump of the bass would be enough to shatter it and the lilting accent that it carried only gave Victor’s heart another tug of foreign feelings. 

 

“I’ll have to come see you sometime,” Victor began. Yuuri arched one painfully perfect eyebrow and the other man began to stutter, “I mean, all of you—Chris and Phichit too! Come support all of you!”

 

Victor could feel the heat of his raging crimson flush and as if on cue Phichit returned, sliding onto the barstool between them.

 

“Did I miss anything?” He asked, smile as bright as ever.

 

Victor cleared his throat but had no words to follow it. Yuuri smiled in a way that could have brought Victor to his knees, haughty and surreptitious like his lips held the secrets of the world. The angel’s stomach filled with something that he imagined must be lust as he reached for his glass and tried to drink the sin away.

 

“Victor is going to come see us dance,” Yuuri informed his friend, that tantalizing smile still playing on his lips. Phichit was unfazed and Victor was still staring across what felt like a chasm of space into Yuuri’s dark eyes. 

 

The angel had never seen such expressive eyes in all of Heaven and Earth. He had blessed plenty of celebrities who had full lashes and crystal blues, seen angels with hues of opal and violet that would put any set of human eyes to shame. Any but the ones watching him, the ones that seemed to hold all of eternity for Victor to lose himself in. 

 

The feelings that had begun to bubble up yet again were brand new to the angel. Victor hadn’t known that it was possible for an angel to feel warmth in the places he did and wondered briefly if it was a sin of the flesh just to experience the heat. 

 

“Next Saturday then.” As always, it was Chris who broke Victor from his enraptured trance. 

 

“Next Saturday what?” Victor replied, blinking blankly at the man. 

 

Chris stared at him with an eyebrow raised and slowly repeated himself, continuing to add information as Victor’s face gave no indication that he had been listening in the first place. 

 

“Next Saturday...Phichit, Yuuri, and I will be dancing on the main stage. You should come then, if you’re wanting to see us dance.”

 

“Of course,” Victor responded. He grinned at the three of them, “I would love nothing more than to come support my new friends! Next Saturday it is!”

 

That was how Victor had come to be standing outside a club downtown, one that already had a much different atmosphere than the one he currently frequented. That bar was tame with its relatively simple, sleek exterior that matched the modern, high-class environment of the bar itself.

 

This club was in line with several others that were completely decorated in gaudy neon lighting. Victor could feel the exuberant bass thumping through him to the point he couldn’t tell his heartbeat from the vibrations of the music.  There was a line at the door that stretched out past the block and the people standing in it seemed to already be having plenty of fun. The angel couldn’t tell what was louder—the whoops and shouts of the queue outside, or the pulse of the music from within.

 

He stood awkwardly for about ten minutes simply observing the dynamics of the situation before he ventured toward the front of the line. Chris had informed Victor that the event was more high-brow than a typically evening at his downstairs bar, so Victor had pulled out every stop.

 

He had chosen a set of tight black slacks that Chris promised gave him the  _ ass of an angel _ , something Victor found hilarious. He paired the accentuating bottom half with an equally form fitting patterned shirt in different hues of grays which he rolled up to his elbow, and a pair of thick-framed non-prescription glasses, the part of the ensemble he was most excited about.

 

He ignored the throngs of people spilled out into the row and walked directly up to the bouncer, a tall man built like a brick house, who seemed to be busy sneering at the already inebriated antics going on in his line. Victor was not to be easily dissuaded by a gruff appearance and plastered on his most winning smile.

 

“Excuse me, I need in—I’m seeing some of my friends this evening,” Victor explained. The bouncer narrowed his eyes and scanned the angel from top to bottom with a suspicious gaze. 

 

“You’ll have to wait in line with the rest,” the larger man replied, crossing his arms and turning away from the angel.

 

“Oh no, perhaps you didn’t understand,” Victor pressed. He pushed his glasses down his nose and gave a wink to the bouncer, the angel focused on exuding an aura of confidence and let his blessing flow out of him. “I’ll be needing you to let me in now, I can’t miss my friends’ performances can I?”

 

The bouncer looked back and met the angel’s eyes. That was all it took for Victor’s blessing to take hold and the man blinked as if processing his new line of thoughts before nodding slowly.

 

“We can’t have that,” the bouncer agreed. He lifted the rope and gestured Victor inside with an apology. It only took a few seconds for those in line to notice what was happening and whispers began to circulate.

 

“Who is  _ that?” _

 

_ “ _ He just walked right in!”

 

“Look at him, I think he’s a model or something…”

 

Victor grinned to himself as he walked through the doors, he felt a twinge of guilt for using his blessing so freely but tried to find solace in that he was doing it for his friends.

 

The first thing Victor realized upon walking through the door, was that this was  _ not _ the ritzy place he lived above. He had assumed as much from the loud music and the gaudy exterior, but the sight of the club inside was jarring.

 

Victor was surrounded by tall brick walls, painted black and decorated with bright colored murals depicting male silhouettes in a variety of rather lewd positions. Neon lights lined the stage as well as the large cages that hung from the ceiling, where several men in thigh high boots, and little else, writhed against the metal. It wasn’t dirty by any means, on the contrary though the decoration wasn’t anything Victor would have expected, it was all very clean and purposeful. 

 

Colorful lights pulsed along with bright flashes of white, the source of which came from the main stage—an enormous circular platform in the very center of the room with a catwalk extending to the back of the club. There was a large pole that extended so high that Victor couldn’t spot the top of it even with his neck craned, with two smaller accompanying poles that were anchored into the stage and only stretched a few feet into the air.

 

Two lengths of white cloth hung from the ceiling where two men in spandex shorts moved to the music, tangling their feet in the cloth before bending back and turning to show off their well sculpted bodies. 

 

Victor knew what a strip club was. He had watched enough of his blessed celebrities to have even seen inside a few of them. He knew exactly where he was and despite his initial horror, he had to admit that it was definitely a  _ high-end  _ strip club. 

 

Any time Victor had watched his wards go to strip clubs and partake in lewd sins, his heart had hurt for them and his stomach filled with an acidic anger toward their sin. He was so stunned by his surroundings that he hadn’t quite evaluated his own feelings. The complete shock of the situation had more than overcome the anger toward the club which he had been taught was little more than a cesspool of sin. The angel couldn’t help but let his curiosity take over as he continued to walk through the club aimlessly trying to absorb his surroundings as his heart thumped to the beat of the bass.

 

He gingerly tucked himself into the armless black leather chair, one of many scattered throughout the many pub tables and sofas that surrounded the stage. His eyes darted from one lewd spectacle to another, wondering briefly just how often the archangels were checking up on him.

 

His thoughts were interrupted by a booming voice accompanied by a halt in the music. “Please take your seats, for the show is about to begin as we bring you tonight’s headliner the  _ Tantalizing Trio _ !”

 

The entire club seemed to burst into applause and Victor noticed the men previous wrapped in cloth had retreated back into the rafters above.  The venue grew dark as the pulsing dance lights were cut, replaced instead by three spotlights focused on the center of the stage. The lights began to circulate as the opening of an upbeat pop song began to play on repeat underneath the booming voice of the DJ. From the top of the middle pole, Victor watched his new friends descend.  

 

Phichit and Chris were horizontal from the pole, their legs locked together to hold themselves up while they leaned back, rippling abs on display.  Yuuri had a heeled boot on each of their sides while one arm was locked behind him, gripping the pole as they slowly descended. In his free hand, Yuuri held what appeared to be a champagne bottle and halfway down the pole he flicked off the top to let a shower of confetti and glitter fall around them.

 

As the three men touched down to the stage, they dispersed to the three poles that were set up as the DJ gave them each an introduction. 

 

“On our right pole this evening, everyone at stand at attention for Phichit XXX!”

 

Phichit flashed a flirtatious smile off to his side of the stage and bucked his hips toward a guest sitting in one of the armless leather chairs.  He was clad in tight, sparkling red spandex shorts with a relatively loose black top cut low enough that his sternum was front and center. He struck a pose, popping one of his black heeled boots behind him so that his rear was front and center.

 

“On the left pole, try to keep it in your pants for Chris Diamond!”

 

Chris blew a kiss off the side of the stage and assumed a similar pose to the one Phichit had struck.  The two men were dressed in similar outfits thought Chris’ shorts were made with a sparkling purple spandex. The crowd was already whistling out obscenities when Yuuri was introduced.

 

“And last, but certainly not least.  The best ass in class, give everything you’ve got up for Yuuri Katsu _ damn _ !”

 

Yuuri had on a smile not unlike the one he had given Victor the night before, the one that had made him inexplicably warm and very confused.  The man swung his leg around the center pole and let his body follow. He was dressed in a similar outfit to his counterparts, however his blue sparkling spandex shorts had the word  _ Katsudamn _ written in silver glitter right across his butt. 

 

Victor didn’t need a mirror to know that his face was as crimson as Phichit’s revealing shorts, a condition that only worsened once their dance began.  The pop intro that had been on repeat finally gave way to a full medley of bass laden synth as the men began to climb on their poles. Thought Chris and Phichit both seemed to be giving electrifying performances of their own, loud shouts and whistles could be heard from either side of the stage, it was Yuuri who captivated the angel’s reluctant attention.

 

_ Was this a sin? _ Victor wondered, though the thought was fleeting as one of Yuuri’s legs extended up beside his head as he leaned back on his pole.  Victor gulped. The heat from his cheeks had move south,  _ much _ further south. The angel wasn’t sure what word could even describe this feeling, something he had never felt in all his millennia of existence.  

 

_ This is wrong. Stop looking.  Look away..  _ He tried to be the angel on his own shoulder but his eyes remained fixated on the Japanese man that had just removed his shirt to reveal a chest that glistened with sweat. 

 

The situation rapidly escalated when the first song came to a close.  The DJ loudly asked for applause from the crowd as the opening notes of a new song began to rumble through the speakers, the three men began to walk down the steps, off the stage and into the crowd.  Victor’s brow was damp with sweat as his eyes locked with Yuuri’s seductive dark gaze. Yuuri was making a beeline toward him with a smirk on his face, his hips jutting with each carefully placed step until he was directly in front of Victor. 

 

The heat from before was back with more intensity as Yuuri leaned forward and placed his hands against the back of Victor’s chair. The confusing feelings that he had been able to subtly push away were now raging full force, to the point he could no longer feel his own breathing.  The angel could smell the musk of Yuuri’s cologne mixed with the heady odor of the man’s own scent. From the close proximity Victor could see every line of definition in the man’s chest and abs, along with every drop of sweat and every drop in his chest that accompanied the dancer’s breathless panting.

 

Yuuri leaned down to Victor’s ear and his breath sent a shiver down the angel’s spine as he whispered just loud enough to be heard over the music, “You came.”

 

Victor’s heart was fixed in his throat, making it difficult to formulate a response, he was barely able to nod under the man’s penetrating gaze.  Yuuri’s smirk turned to a full blown smile, his lips curled up and he swung a knee over Victor to rest on the side of his chair. Yuuri began to move his hips to the music, gyrating into Victor’s space.  The angel was too far gone to move, blue eyes still locked on the face in front of him. He flushed as an involuntary sigh escaped his lips.

 

Yuuri continued his dance, bringing his other knee to rest beside Victor’s leg.  He grabbed the angel’s hands and placed them on his hips as he brought his crotch down to move against Victor’s.  The angel’s pants felt tight and he longed for the flow of his tunic, though this was not a problem he had anticipated or even fully understood, if he was being honest.  He was mesmerized by the man he had only met once before who was now gyrating on him obscenely in the middle of a packed club. He was ashamed of himself for sitting there and letting it happen, but made no move to stop the dance. 

 

Yuuri once again brought himself to Victor’s ear, turning so the glittery letters of his shorts left a trail against the man’s black pants. “I was hoping you would come, you know.”

 

“R-really?” Victor managed, though his voice came out shaky and weak. 

 

Yuuri chuckled, grinding his ass back against the heat of Victor’s lower body as he continued casually, “Of course, you looked so innocent at the bar that night—I wondered if I could _unravel_ you.”

 

The angel couldn’t focus enough to process the meaning behind the words coming out of the other man’s mouth.  All he could feel was the throbbing heat coursing below where Yuuri sat in his lap, and the motion of the man’s hips where his hands still gripped as if his life depended on it. He wasn’t sure at this point which thrusts were part of Yuuri’s dance, and which ones were directed by his own hands.  He tried very purposefully not to dwell on it, nor the thought of the sins he may or may not be committing. 

 

The song finally finished, flowing into the next in the set as Yuuri took hold of Victor’s hands and placed them back in his own lap.  Before he retreated back to the stage, he bent down and kissed the back of Victor’s hand which rested against a visible bulge where the angel’s legs met his hips.  He felt the bulge twitch in response and his smile was pure satisfaction.

 

“Hope you enjoy the show,” he cooed as he turned on his heel and ran up the steps.  Victor watched as he wrapped himself around the pole once more to the cheers of the entire club.  All three of the men on stage began to peel off their spandex shorts to reveal matching thongs and it was at that point that Victor began to pray.

—

Victor had made it home before the bar below had closed and could still hear some of the light bass that thumped against his stairwell, though that could also be the lingering synth from the strip club.  

 

The angel was mortified with himself for letting the other man dance on him like he had, even more so because there had been only a tiny portion of him that had wanted to stop it.  He made his way to the bathroom and began to run the water so hot that steam filled the room, closing the door to trap the heat inside. Victor‘s clothes clung to him like second skin, a consequence of the sweat and steam, making them a task to peel off.

 

He stepped in the shower and hissed as the water hit his skin, scalding it and leaving it red.  Victor turned the nozzle so the water began to cool enough to be bearable before reaching for the soap to wash himself.  He let the water run over him as he dragged the bar across his chest and stomach before making his way down. The angel’s hands paused and his eyes followed the trail of soap to his erection, finally freed from the restraint of his pants.

 

Ever so slowly, almost painfully so, Victor let his hands continue their path so they brushed over his groin.  A soft moan escaped his lips without his permission and he bit down to stifle it as he let the soap run over the length of it.  His cock twitched in response and he continued the motion. This was a sensation he had never known, for angels didn’t have such crude functions as the human body did. He could feel pleasure coursing through his body with each timid touch to himself, before he dropped the soap to the floor of the shower.

 

Victor used his newly freed hand to cup the head of his erection as his hips involuntarily rocked forward. He released his lip and let out a moan, this one louder and raspier than the last. The angel bucked his hips again and leaned forward to rest his forearm on the shower wall.  The water continued to pour over his back as he allowed his fingers to wrap around the base of his cock and move at their own volition.

 

Victor’s mind wandered as he touched himself.  He remembered the event responsible for his current state, the  _ man _ responsible for it.  Victor remembered the first few rubs of Yuuri’s clothed dick on his own, the trail of glitter that still remained on his slacks as evidence from the night’s turn of events. His erection seemed to remember what had transpired as well, since it twitched along to Victor’s stream of thoughts.  The seductive look that Yuuri had focused on him, the tantalizing whispers that sent chills down the angel’s spine and the  _ ass _ that dimpled when he flexed it on the pole. 

 

_ I wondered if I could unravel you. _

 

Yuuri’s words came back to haunt Victor as he bucked his hips into his hand.  The water was starting to run cooler against his back as his thrusts became quicker, needier, as if they were chasing something but he had no idea what it could be.  All he knew was the immediate pleasure. Victor wished Yuuri could see him now,  _ unraveling _ .

 

The angel stopped suppressing his moans, allowing them to take control as he moved his hand in time with the motion of his hips.  He began to whimper, he felt as if he was on the edge of heaven about to jump through the gates again. He felt as if he had flown as high as he could and he was about to fold his wings and let himself freefall. He felt—he felt—

 

He felt the stars.  He felt immense pleasure wash over him.  He felt a sensation incomparable to any he had known before and as Victor found his first release, a single word found its own release from his lips.

 

“Yuuri!” He called out in the heat of his climax.  The water ran cold as it washed away the evidence of his transgressions.  Somberly, he finished cleaning himself before stepping out of the shower and wrapping himself in a towel.

—

Victor trudged to his bed and sunk into the mattress.  His head fell to his hands as the reality of the night finally hit him. 

 

“Forgive me Father, for I have sinned,” he cried out.  His shoulders shook as his tears racked his entire body.  The angel still did not understand what he had done, it wasn’t exactly something that had been discussed before he was sent down from Heaven.  It wasn’t something that he could discuss with Yakov, should he reach out with his blessing.

 

Would the archangels know?  Were they watching him now, shaking their heads at his fragile will? He had spent his whole life following the most pure and righteous path, only to be lead astray by a man.  A man whose eyes looked like they held every secret that had ever been told, whose smile teased without saying words and whose body spoke so his lips shouldn’t have to.

 

Victor needed answers.  He needed to speak with someone who might understand the situation, who could offer him solace and remind him of his goal.

 

The time had come, Victor decided, to reveal himself to Christophe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! There will _not_ be a new chapter up next week—because it’s Royalty Week! This is one of my favorite theme weeks and I have something big planned! 
> 
> Come find me on Tumblr where I will be posting content for Royalty Week, along with my art, and chapter updates! 
> 
> I would like to stress that in this fic I definitely took some liberties, so while I’m aware that the last scene is a big no-no as far as sins go—I felt it was crucial to some of Victor’s development for later in the story. 
> 
> This chapter was an absolute blast to write! I hope you enjoy and I’d love to hear your thoughts! Thank you all so much for taking the time to read my story.


	4. Pity On the Angels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor learns how to face his fears and Chris gives him “The Talk” in more ways than one. This is becoming more than the angel ever bargained for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I’m late~
> 
> Thank you so much FromStarlightToDust for helping me get this chapter out after the neverending story that was writing Royalty Week! I hope you know I adore you! 
> 
> (If you’re looking for a fantastic, tear-jerking, BEAUTIFUL fic check out “Don’t Cry Solnyshko,”)

_God did not have pity on the angels that sinned. He had them tied up and thrown into the dark pits of hell until the time of judgment._

_Peter 2:4_

Finding an appropriate time to tell Christophe the truth about his identity proved more difficult than Victor had initially thought. Chris was busy at the bar below the angel’s apartment for most of the week and on the weekend he was dancing at the strip club. On the rare occasion that he had off from both places Victor found himself working his own job at the piano bar.

 

Victor tried to go down and visit Chris’ bar rail. His initial plan was to invite the bartender over to his apartment before his next shift and then reveal himself in all his ethereal glory. Briefly the angel wondered if he would be able to use a bit of blessing to show off his feathered wings to the human, he imagined a dramatic, show-stopping reveal that was very much in line with Victor’s rather exuberant personality. He never got the opportunity to ask, however, since he was no more than two steps past the door when he spied Phichit and Yuuri already occupying the bar stools.

 

It wasn’t that Victor was trying to avoid Yuuri. In fact, there was a worriedly large part of him that was drawn to the man despite the confusing feelings he elicited in the angel whenever he drew near. He had made the decision to not see Yuuri again until after he had a chance to reveal himself to Christophe and ask a few questions about the events of last Saturday. However, it seemed that the man who had put Victor in this very predicament was proving to be the very reason he had yet to resolve it.

 

Victor couldn’t help himself. The dance from Saturday replayed in his head whenever he saw the other man, bringing with it the memory of his own actions thereafter and the guilt he still carried. He was due to check in with Yakov fairly soon, something he dreaded given what his mentor might have to say. Archangels did not see everything the way God did and the angel prayed desperately that his transgressions bore no witness.

 

Yuuri was at the bar rail beside Phichit nearly every evening that Victor ventured downstairs. Fearful of his own urges, Victor turned on his heel and ran back up to his loft before he was spotted. This happened several times before the angel remembered the phone he had at his disposal, electing to send a text to Chris rather than risk another encounter with the man haunting his thoughts.

 

V// Hello Christophe, it is Victor.

 

C// Yea, I know lol I have your number

 

V// Right. I was hoping you and I might get together this week, perhaps you might join me for lunch tomorrow?

 

C// Sure, I can come by early and just walk down for my shift at the bar. How’s 1?

 

V// Perfect!

 

C// :)

 

V// How did you do that?

 

C// I’ll show you tomorrow

 

True to his word, Chris arrived at Victor’s apartment the following day accompanied by a bottle of rosé which received a raised brow from the angel.

 

“It’s five o’clock somewhere,” the bartender offered as a means of explanation. It was one of the occasions where Victor was nearly certain that his translation blessing was not working because Chris’ words gave no real explanation to his actions. Still, the angel wanted to blend in for a bit longer and accepted a glass of the pink wine that the Swiss man poured.

 

“So what’s for lunch? I’m starving and I really shouldn’t drink on an empty stomach.” Chris directed his question to Victor as he went ahead and sipped at his wine despite his own words.

 

“Ah,” the angel set his glass down, “I still have to make it, which brings me to why I invited you over in the first place.”

 

“To have lunch?”

 

“Yes, well no. That too, but there is a more pressing matter to attend to!”

 

Victor took a deep breath and cupped Christophe’s face in his hands, “Please do not ‘freak out,’ I’m going to show you something.”

 

If the Swiss man hadn’t been weary before, the angels words only served to make him nervous. Victor stepped into the center of the kitchen and began waving his arms about as if he was performing some sort of interpretive dance. Cabinets flew open to allow dishes to float onto the counter and food to fly into saucepans, ingredients mixed together before Chris’ ever-widening jade eyes while Victor commanded the room with his blessing.

 

In only a matter of minutes, the angel allowed his arms to still at his sides. In front of him sat two beautiful plates of food, steaming pirozhkis with small ramekins of sauce.

 

“W-would you like to explain what just happened?” Chris managed to stutter out. Emerald eyes darted back and forth from the silver haired man to the plates of food that he was nearly certain had been prepared with some sort of magic.

 

The angel nodded, gesturing to the table as he took the plates and set them down. After the human reluctantly joined him, Victor took a nibble of his lunch and began to explain.

 

“Chris, what if I told you I’m not from around here?”

 

“I knew that. No offense but your accent really gives it away. Tell me, Victor, are you some sort of Russian magician?”

 

“I’m your guardian angel.”

 

Neither man dared to speak for what felt like hours though only a minute had passed. Christophe had set his pirozhki back onto the plate, blinking at it as if he expected it to fly up in the air again. Victor watched his friend, awaiting a response nervously as he picked at the crust.  He sighed and offered more of an explanation.

 

“I am an angel, from Heaven. I was born before the human race and I’ve been in charge of blessing you all with music and dance for some time now. My talent has been recognized and I was sent here to protect you, be tested, and learn about the humans so that I might be welcomed into the ranks of the archangels—the highest angels in heaven!

 

I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, but I wanted to become friends before I told you my little secret.”

 

Victor grinned at Chris, who was still focused on the plate in front of him. The angel felt his stomach tie itself in knots, apprehension filling him as he awaited his friend’s response.

 

“Little secret? Well, that certainly explains a lot.”

 

“You believe me then?”

 

“For now,” Chris mused, still eyeing the angel suspiciously.

 

“It’s a shame I can’t manage enough blessing to show you my true form, I’ve been told my wings are quite lovely.” Victor blushed and clasped one of Christophe’s hands in his own. “You have no idea what a relief it is for someone to know! I’m hoping you can help me!”

 

The Swiss man resumed his lunch, vibrant eyes still locked on the angel. Victor took that as permission to continue. “I-I’d like to ask you about some human things...I’ve been having some, well, urges?”

 

Chris paused mid-bite to save himself from coughing. “Oh?” He managed between his sputters.

 

“You see, when I met Yuuri I was simply captivated, I felt warmth everywhere and I couldn’t help but think of him constantly. Then, when I visited you at your...work, he danced upon me in such a way that it caused feelings I didn’t know were possible. I-I believe I committed a sin of the flesh, just consumed by that warmth he caused.”

 

Sighing, Chris gave up on his lunch. He was familiar with the sensations that he believed Victor to be asking about and fortunately while he was a bit surprised that a beautiful grown man was asking him about such things, he wasn’t shy about the topic.

 

“Victor, it sounds like you might be attracted to Yuuri and your body is just responding to that. Do angels not get... _aroused_?”

 

Crimson fire flushed across the angel’s face as he ducked down, carding a hand through his silver bangs while his piercing blue eyes searched for a target anywhere but Christophe’s rather amused expression. “N-no, there isn’t a need for that sort of thing in Heaven.”

 

Chris hummed with interest, “No sex in Heaven, doesn’t _sound_ very heavenly after all.”

 

If Victor blushed any more he was certain that he would burst into flames. His voice grew a bit higher, more strained as he tried to defend himself. “I am an _angel_ . I am not supposed to have _sex_ or any of those sinful feelings.”

 

A tanned hand caressed the alabaster skin of the angel’s jaw while his friend purred in sympathy. “Is this why you haven’t been to visit me lately? Too worried you’ll run into what you most desire?”

 

The angel turned his head out of Christophe’s reach, a frown painted delicately on his lips. _Was he frightened of these feelings?_ Yes. Yet, there was still a part of him that craved the warmth he felt around the Japanese man’s lithe form and dark gaze. There was a sinful part of his flesh that wanted to indulge. Victor’s inner conflict was visible on his handsome face, causing Chris to pity the angel just a bit.

 

“Ah, _mon cher._ It seems that you have developed your first crush, you can’t let yourself feel guilty on that--it’s only natural after all. Sometimes, the best cure for a crush is to indulge it a bit.”

 

“Indulge it how?”

 

“Well, perhaps you should ask the man on a date? Take Yuuri out to dinner, talk to him, get all those other ideas out of your head by actually getting to know him?”

 

Victor chewed at his lip as he pondered Chris’ proposition. It wasn’t the worst idea. He _did_ want to see Yuuri again after all and perhaps if he had other memories to focus on than the way the man’s hips writhed against him, hot breath on his neck, he wouldn’t be so consumed by the sinful heat. The angel nodded. He would ask Yuuri on a date.

 

The two men finished their lunch and Victor absently cleaned up the table with a simple flick of his wrist. Christophe’s jaw grew slack at the spectacle, not entirely used to the idea that his new friend was actually an ethereal being hand-crafted by God himself. Chris had never found himself to be too terribly religious and still couldn’t fathom why _he_ of all people had been assigned a guardian angel.

 

As he made his way downstairs for the start of his shift, the human looked back at the blindingly beautiful face that watched him from the door. Angel or not, it wasn’t fair to be that pretty. Christophe sent a wink over his shoulder, “I’ve left the wine for you. Even an angel could use some liquid courage to tackle a crush!”

 

Blushing, Victor quickly closed the door on his friend and Chris descended the stairs, chuckling to himself.

 —

 

Victor should have been focused on his upcoming check in with Yakov. He should have been focused on prayer, praise, or nearly anything to do with his role as an angelic host.

 

Instead, he had spent the majority of the last hour in front of the mirror deciding on which shirt would “bring out his eyes” when he asked Yuuri out on a date. Even after his discussion with Chris, followed by several text exchanges, the angel hadn’t been entirely sure what he was getting himself into. Several of the articles that his phone had found him—Christophe had shown him how to ask his phone questions—had mentioned that one should look their absolute best when trying to pursue an object of interest.

 

Finally settling on a soft blue v-neck under a light grey blazer, Victor flashed himself a satisfied smile. He felt confident, giddy, and just a bit nervous as he ventured from his apartment. One of the articles had mentioned impressing a potential date with a display of skill, so the angel was on his way to the piano bar where Chris had helped him to secure a position as one of the musicians in rotation. He had invited all three of his new friends to come visit him at work in hopes that Yuuri might be impressed with his prowess on the keys.

 

The piano bar was just getting busy when Victor waltzed through the door, he was not set to go on for another hour but had arrived early to ensure that everything went perfect for his big night. He settled into a small booth to study his music until it was his turn to play, not that he really needed to look over the pages. Being an angel of virtue, he could play any piece of music with the utmost perfection just by ear alone. He wasn’t waiting long before he spotted several familiar faces walking through the door. Christophe lead the small group, with Phichit walking beside him chattering eagerly. As the first two men made their way through the door, the last member of their party lingered. Victor felt his breath abandon him as his eyes washed over Yuuri.

 

He was as handsome as the angel remembered, his hair slicked back with just a few escaped tendrils brushing his face. The endless depth of his eyes met Victor’s own clear gaze, dancing underneath the dim lighting of the room as he flashed a deadly smile in the angel’s direction. In seconds, Victor felt the familiar warmth blooming in his chest as he was unable to pry his eyes off the man while his group of friends made their way over to him.

 

“Victor!” Phichit called out with a wave. The Thai man’s bright smile illuminated the booth as he slid in across from Victor, Yuuri following close behind. Chris settled in beside the pianist and casually rested an arm on the back of the angel’s chair as he perused the bar.

 

“I’m so glad you could make it,” Victor murmured. He meant to address the whole group but his focus was still on Yuuri. As if he knew, the raven-haired man curled up his lips in a tiny smirk causing Victor to blush profusely.

 

“Of course, _mon cher_. You’ve come to see our talents, it’s only right that we return the favor.” Christophe smiled brightly, waving down a young woman in an apron to order a round of drinks. Victor excused himself from the booth as the first pianist’s set came to a close, making his way to the piano to begin his first song.

 

Touching the keys was like coming home. As soon as Victor felt the rows of ivory beneath his fingertips he could feel his blessing pulsing just beneath his skin, as if the music called to it and drew it from hiding. He allowed himself to tickle a few keys in a simple arpeggio, which received a small smattering of applause as the audience perked up. The angel hadn’t been performing at the piano bar for too long but since he had taken up a few sets he had garnered a small following. For good reason too, considering most of the songs he played were divined from his own blessing.

 

Chris grinned encouragingly at his angelic friend, while Yuuri’s hooded eyes did nothing to settle the fluttering in Victor’s stomach. With a smile plastered on his face for show, Victor began his gentle caress of the piano. Small titillations sounded from the depths of the piano’s strings, as delicate and ethereal as the being who brought them into fruition. The room was captivated at once as the angel closed his eyes and let thousands of years of practice take over.

 

His fingers worked over the keys with the precision of a surgeon while the music flowed, the song told a story of new love and promise. It was one of Victor’s dear favorites and from the way the room watched him in a silent awe, he knew that his message reached the crowd. Among those watching was Yuuri, the man’s dark pools were hot on his cheeks as he continued his song, a cry out to the very man observing him.

 

Thunderous applause resounded as Victor allowed his hands to come to a rest, plucking the last few notes as if they were made of glass. As an angel he had often been warned of the dangers of pride, yet he allowed himself to bask in the praise of his audience before beginning his next song. His setlist was a collection of innocent love songs, a few crowd favorites, and a sonata that Victor was partial to.

 

His final song was a divergence from the typical close to his set, a gentle ballad that Chris had assisted him in selecting. The notes were in the lower octaves of the piano, played slow with a soft hand, an almost seductive melody that was designed to speak directly to one member of Victor’s audience in particular.

 

At some point during the song, Yuuri had disappeared from the booth where Phichit and Christophe still sat watching the performance. Victor still felt the man’s gaze blazing on his neck as he closed his eyes and allowed the music to take hold, ebbing and flowing from his fingers as if it was a new being brought to life at his touch.

 

When he finished, he was distracted from the eruption of applause by a presence beside him on the piano bench. It was Yuuri, staring so intently at the pianist that he felt his brow begin to dampen. Victor struggled in vain to find his words, stunned by the other man’s presence.

 

“On love?” It was Yuuri who spoke first, his soft voice like a delicate caress on Victor’s ear as it sent a chill down his spine.

 

“Eros…” Victor admitted with a hint of a shudder. The song had many arrangements but it was Eros that reminded him of Yuuri. The way the man spoke, in such low sultry tones, the way he moved as if his body was out of his own control—it was pure eros.

 

Clearly the muse of the song seemed to agree, he chuckled at Victor’s admission and scooted toward him on the bench. “I like that arrangement the best, a sexual love,” he admitted breathlessly, his face mere inches away from the angel. Victor tried to gulp but his mouth had already run dry.

 

Yuuri cocked his head to the side, waiting for a response that never came. With a sigh he began to slide off the bench but before he could leave, Victor caught his hand.

 

“Yuuri!”

 

The man looked back, one brow raised with intrigue.

 

“Have dinner with me, a date. Yes, will you?” His proposition came out as jumbled as his thoughts and a crimson blush bloomed from his cheeks into the tip of his ears.

Yuuri answered with a devilish grin as he leaned toward Victor and whispered into his ear. “It would be my pleasure,” he purred. Victor cursed the way his human body reacted, so weak to the effects of the raven-haired beauty.

 

“Ahem.” The next pianist coughed behind Victor, who managed a weak smile by means of an apology as he peeled himself off the bench. Yuuri was already gone, returned to the booth among the rest of his friends and the angel sighed.

 

Returning home from the evening, Victor was still reeling from the events which transpired. Like a lovesick schoolgirl, he pressed his back to his front door after slipping inside, sighing in contentment. He had a date, with _Yuuri_. Yuuri who enjoyed his song, the very piece Victor had chosen just for him. Though he was wingless, he still felt elated enough to take flight at the thought of more time with the other man.

 

 _This is not your purpose,_ a small voice reminded him. The same voice he had been ignoring increasingly often since he arrived on Earth. He knew the voice was right. What he was doing wasn’t wrong per se, but he had already misstepped once and there was always the chance that instead of satiating those desires with this date, it would only serve to create a deeper hunger.

 

“Vitya,” a sharp voice called out through the apartment as Victor made his way to the bedroom. The angel knew immediately who the voice belonged to.

 

“Yakov, it’s been too long! Oh how I’ve missed you!”

 

“Stop Vitya, don’t waste your empty words on me. I know what you’ve been doing and it’s time we had a talk.”

  
Victor winced at his mentor’s words. His heart stopped its fluttering while his stomach turned to lead and seemed to anchor him to where he stood in the doorway. _I know what you’ve been doing_ , the words echoed around him as he turned back to face his fate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! It was weird going back to this world after writing about Terra Incognita’s royals for seven days straight! 
> 
> Royalty Week was a blast! I was absolutely blown away by your supportive comments and feedback, it was amazing to bring that story to you all! I can’t wait to begin some of those oneshots, if you have something you want to see~come find me on [Tumblr ](Https://TheWaywardSong.Tumblr.com/)
> 
> It feels so good to write on this story again and we’re starting to get to the good stuff now! I apologize that it’s a day late, but that seven day writing streak was wonderful and exhausting! Thank you all for taking your time to read this!


	5. Against Flesh and Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor learns something surprising about his mentor’s past which just might help him with his own future. Still struggling in a battle between flesh and soul, he is finally faced with his own temptation and finds that he may not be alone in his beginnings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you to FromStarlightToDust for your wonderful beta work on this fic. Even when I don’t get it to you until the morning its supposed to be posted.

_ For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places.  _

_ Ephesians  6:12 _

Victor thought that becoming an archangel might relieve him of some of Yakov’s scoldings. After all, he was finally assuming his rightful place in the hierarchy of angels which was a testament to all he had learned from his mentor. He had always imagined the swell of pride he would feel during his first check in with Yakov, expecting that everything would go exactly as he had always imagined as a young cherub. He thought he would have his blessing manifestation before his first check in and be welcomed into the ranks he was born for. 

 

Then he had met Yuuri. The only person who had ever inspired such sinful thoughts to fill Victor’s innocent mind. The only person who could have derailed Victor so quickly from his quest. 

 

_ I know what you’ve been doing _ . 

 

Feigning his most angelic smile, Victor sunk into the couch and accepted that he would not be going to bed anytime soon. Yakov allowed his own blessing to manifest so he appeared in a hologram of shimmering light beside his former pupil. Gruff lines painted his face, his lips pulled down in their near permanent frown as he studied the potential archangel.  “I see you’ve started dressing like one of your little pop stars.”

 

“That’s what I’ve been watching for hundreds of years, isn’t it?” Victor retorted with a mild laugh. Yakov could chastise him over a number of his actions since he arrived on Earth, it was typical that he chose to nitpick at the things that barely mattered. No doubt he was warming up to the larger issues at hand. With a grunt of agreement, Yakov continued. 

 

“I never thought you to be so weak minded, Vitya. You’ve been gallivanting around bars, spending your time with the impure—sex workers, really Victor? Is that the company you think the archangels keep?”

 

“They’re  _ dancers _ .” 

 

Yakov scoffed. “Is that what they tell you? To lure you into their sinful lair? You’re supposed to be  _ saving _ them, not becoming one.”

 

“I’m  _ not _ !” His cheeks burned, his throat hot as acid churned in his stomach. He expected this. He knew that his transgressions were no secret and yet he still felt like a cherub again. Victor’s icy gaze locked on his mentor as he set his jaw in defiance. Tears threatened him, hot and waiting. Praise hadn’t been on the agenda for this meeting but it didn’t stop the anger and humiliation he felt at his mentor’s critiques.

 

“Vitya,” Yakov began, his tone softer now. “I was a young angel once too, but you mustn’t forget what brings you here.”

 

“What brings me here? Saving some human who doesn’t need me? Waiting for some blessing manifestation that may never happen? I’m on a mission with no clear objective, what am I supposed to do?”

 

“Let your faith guide-”

 

“Let my faith guide me. Right.” Victor tried not to sound so flippant. He was an angel, after all. His entire life had been spent grooming him for this very thing. It was supposed to be a fulfillment of destiny, a birthright finally his for the taking. Instead everything was muddled--his faith, his confusing feelings toward Yuuri, his unclear goal.

 

“I never went through this rite of passage,” Yakov admitted. Victor managed to refrain from rolling his eyes, it wasn’t his mentor’s fault that his destiny hadn’t come as easily as imagined. The older angel’s voice wavered as he continued, taking Victor’s silence as permission to do so. 

 

“I did come to Earth for some time. You might remember, you were still a young virtue when I travelled down for the year in hopes of finding knowledge to manifest my blessing once more. I was lost, like you are now, not sure where to look or what to do.”

 

Yakov paused, looking perplexed as if he was trying to find the right words. Victor hadn’t seen his mentor like this before, soft and understanding. The beratement that began their conversation was much more of his style, if he hadn’t been so angry Victor might have even found the familiarity of it comforting. 

 

“It’s different.” Victor interrupted. He cast his eyes down, not wanting to find disappointment in his father figure’s eyes as he confessed his sins. “You’re right, I’ve behaved in sin. I met a man who can render me speechless, filling me with such emotion that I don’t know what to do. It’s unlike anything I’ve felt before, how am I supposed to just lie back and let faith fix everything? In the meanwhile do I sit there with these  _ thoughts _ in my head?”

 

Yakov responded with a nervous cough. “Yes, I believe I was the only one who bore witness to your er, transgressions.”

 

Victor’s cheeks flushed with heat, in part from the embarrassment of knowing what his mentor saw and in part remembering how  _ fantastic _ it had felt. Neither angel could look the other in the eye, a silence settling in the room until Yakov’s gruff voice resonated against the walls once more. 

 

“I strayed from my path once, Vitya. When I came down to Earth I was sent to Russia, in the beautiful town of Saint Petersburg. Back then it was full of life, vibrance, it was the peak of a prosperous dynasty and I met so many interesting wonderful people. 

 

There was one in particular, a woman named Lilia, she was just barely twenty back then and she was so lovely I was sure that she must have been an angel. When I saw her, I forgot everything I had learned and was completely at her mercy. We fell in love, I couldn’t bear to tell her the truth about me and after a year’s time I left her in the middle of the night.

 

It was Michael who brought me back. He saved me, knowing I couldn’t stay much longer without giving up rank. I never stopped thinking about her, Vitya.”

 

Yakov’s eyes were filled with tears, threatening to spill over though a smile still hung on his lips as he remembered Lilia. “I watched her for years after that. I saw her fall in love, grow old, and I watched her die. Every time I used my blessing to check on her, I wondered if I made the right choice, coming home. She was the only thing that ever stood in the way of my faith.”

 

Any inkling of defiance and anger that Victor might have harbored diminished as his mentor told his tale. Angels were strong in many ways. They were loyal, intelligent, and generous. They were determined, everything one should be when devoting their entire life to a greater cause. Yet, angels lacked love and compassion. That was never their duty. 

 

God loved the world, the angels merely had to run it. 

 

“Would you have forsaken Heaven for her?” Victor asked, his voice barely louder than the creaks of the loft settling. 

 

Yakov responded without a moment’s hesitation, his voice shaking with guilt at his admission. “Yes.”

 

Humans were made to find joy, to find love, to find fulfillment in their lives through pleasure and freedom. The angels were servants of God. Blessed with such power and beauty, unable to take pride of joy in their own doing, only rejoicing in the success of others. Love wasn’t a part of them, but it was a sweet temptation.

 

“What if I still want to see him? To have a chance to feel love? It’s so selfish but I-”

 

“I understand, Vitya. Your time on Earth is your own, if it were another angel I might chastise you more but hypocrisy is a sin as well. If you pursue this, be ready to make your choice when your time comes to an end and refrain from sins that will barr you from your return.”

Slender fingers ran through soft silver bangs as Victor’s head fell into his hands. He rubbed at his face, pushing and pulling at his skin while his brain continued to process Yakov’s words. When he looked up, the soft glow of the blessing had vanished, his mentor along with it. 

 

He didn’t have to look at the clock to know that the hour had grown late. Aching with fatigue, his eyes threatened to shut as he moseyed through the apartment to his bed. The covers were cool as he slipped his legs between them, a refreshing sensation after the rather grim end to his evening. Yakov had more or less given Victor permission to pursue Yuuri, merely warning him of the consequence. A broken heart or forsaking his destiny. He didn’t love Yuuri, not yet, no that didn’t seem to be the feelings that the other man brought out. The feeling felt sinful, a filthy sort of love, lust. He  _ lusted _ after Yuuri, but Victor wondered if he might come to love him if they had the chance. Perhaps love would be the manifestation of his blessing. Maybe these feelings were guiding him toward his goal, which still seemed so far away and unclear. 

 

_ Perhaps I’m meant to fall in love,  _ the angel wondered as he finally succumbed to sleep, allowing it to wash over he and his thoughts, offering a fews hours of relief from the turmoil of indecision. 

 

—

 

Victor arrived for his date with Yuuri nearly half an hour early. He had used his blessing to call Mila, who was only too happy to drive him around in exchange for some details about his engagements for the evening.  While holding onto the door of the car with a white-knuckled grip, Victor shared his plans all the while wondering if car rides were always this particularly terrifying. 

 

“A date? Can angels do that sort of thing now?”

 

“Ah, well-”

 

“Your secret is safe with me. I don’t report to the higher ups much anymore.” Mila shot him a knowing wink as they pulled in front of the restaurant. Victor exited the town car with plenty of questions, most of them about what Mila actually did besides escorting potential archangels around the city. He had plenty of other things to focus on than continue to dwell on that subject he thought while making his way inside, despite the fact his reservation wasn’t for some time still. 

 

Yuuri arrived right at the agreed upon time, looking as ravishing as any time Victor had the privilege of laying eyes on his. Despite spending thousands of years surrounded by ethereal perfection, angels male and female alike who would outshine even the most esteemed faces of Earth, it was Yuuri’s collection of features that sent him reeling. His mouth went dry before the man made it to the table and when he was offered a smile from his date he had to pinch his skin to keep himself in the moment. 

 

Both men were dressed to impress. Victor in a light linen suit while Yuuri wore darker colors that served to make him the most tantalizing thing on the menu. 

 

“I’m glad you could make it,” Victor managed, proud of himself for not stuttering. Yuuri’s response was cool and polite as the waiter came by to pour their water. The angel requested a bottle of wine, determined to break through the evasive exterior of the man in front of him and remembering Christophe’s firm belief in liquid courage. 

 

Glasses filled and food ordered, the men had no choice but to engage in conversation. Victor wanted to know everything about his date, unsure how to go about it as he had never been on a date before. 

 

Yuuri took his wine glass and tilted it, watching how the thick body of the cabernet clung to the sides. “Red wine is an aphrodisiac, you know,” he mused. Dark and tempting, his eyes locked onto Victor through the red stain of the glass before he brought it to his lips.  The angel, who was less versed in these sort of things, was not aware of the fact and blushed profusely. 

 

“I believe reds always go best with good company,” Victor replied, taking a small sip of his own glass. He paused just at his lips and raised the glass toward his date, who eyes him with a cocked brow. Yuuri raised his glass to Victor’s with a faint clink that could barely be heard over the dull roar of the dining room. “Thank you for joining me,” the angel smiled, his lips twisting into a heart as he brought his glass back to his lips. Yuuri followed suit and even in the dim lighting, Victor swore he saw some color bloom in his cheeks. 

 

“I don’t typically do this sort of thing,” Yuuri remarked. He folded his hands neatly under his chin, dark pools observing the room slowly, taking in every detail. 

 

“It’s my first time,” admitted Victor, another blush of color forming on his neck as he tugged his collar. The raven haired beauty across from him shot him an amused grin, “First time?” He hummed with delight before the angel could correct himself. 

 

“My first date!” Victor squeaked, mentally scolding himself for his poor choice of words. He could tell by the mischievous glint in the depth of those dark pools that Yuuri had understood him the first time. Briefly the angel wondered if there was a limit to how embarrassed he could be, perhaps embarrassment was how his blessing would manifest and the heavens would swallow him right up from his chair. 

 

There was no such luck as Victor remained in his seat, under the peruse of his date. “It’s my first date as well, where I’m from this isn’t a common practice,” Yuuri purred, his voice as soothing as his words, allowing Victor some relaxation. 

 

“Nor where I’m from. How long have you been in the city?”

 

“A few months, I believe I arrived shortly before we met actually. Phichit was kind enough to take me under his wing.”

 

“What brought you here?”

 

“Work.”

 

Victor raised a brow, surprised at the answer. “Were there not many places to dance where you’re from?”

 

This brought a chuckle out of Yuuri as he let a smile rest on his lips, “Dancing is more of...an outlet for my work? I’m actually here on assignment.”

 

Yuuri’s words gave Victor little information, but the angel did not have an opportunity to press further before it was his own turn to share. “What about you? You’re obviously not from around here.”

 

“You’re correct,” Victor confirmed. “Would you believe I’m here on business as well?”

 

“Touring the country playing at underground piano bars? Interesting line of work.”

 

“A hobby, actually. My work is…” He paused, biting his lip as he searched for the words to describe it without giving away his identity, “complicated.”

 

Yuuri cocked a brow at Victor’s less-than-informative response but asked no more questions as their food arrived. Falling into a comfortable silence as they began their meals, the men fell into a gentle conversation throughout bites. Compliments of the food, discussion of their own days, and other mundane topics took over as it seemed neither was keen on revealing too much. 

 

Victor wasn’t surprised to find that his raven haired beauty was a relatively private person, his evening career would be considered quite scandalous to some and he certainly wouldn’t blame him for keeping those two worlds separate. As for Victor, there wasn’t too much he could say without confessing his angelic heritage. The fluttering in his stomach was still very much present, but it had taken the form of excitement over the invasive nerves from before. 

 

It wasn’t until they neared the bottom of the bottle of wine that he was treated to a new side of Yuuri. The angel found himself in the focus of a less intense gaze, warm eyes surveying him with curiosity. 

 

“I didn’t expect to meet someone like you,” Yuuri admitted after a minute of silence. Had Victor’s face not already been colored from the alcohol he would have blushed. Instead, he leaned forward on his elbow, his chin resting in the palm of his hand. 

 

“Someone like me?”

 

“Don’t play coy. You walk around with your hair perfectly done and not a thread out of place, dressed like you’re a model. That’s it isn’t it? You’re some sort of model.”

 

Victor chuckled at Yuuri’s accusations, shaking his head vigorously as he waved off the words. “Far from it, I promise you that. You’re one to talk though, especially after what you did to me.”

 

“What I—” Yuuri blushed as he remembered their encounter at the strip club. “I’m sorry about that, I was merely doing my job.”

 

“I wasn’t complaining.” The angel finished off his glass of wine, a brow raised as he watched the tables turn, leaving Yuuri the one squirming for once. As he set the emptied glass back on the table, he wiped his lip on the napkin before adding, “You’re unlike anyone I’ve ever met.”

 

“No erotic dancers back home then?” 

 

“None.” Victor promised. This earned a smile from Yuuri, who kneaded his napkin between his hands as he chewed his bottom lip. Victor tried not to focus on that, finally getting an opportunity to discover Yuuri as more than just an icon of lust.

 

“It’s all I know. It’s more of a game, men are such easy creatures to tempt and I’ve been doing it long enough that sometimes I don’t mean to.” Yuuri sighed, pushing his glass forward as Victor refilled it from their dwindling decanter. 

 

“Is that what you’ve always wanted to do then? Be an object of desire.”

 

Yuuri scoffed at this. “Of course not, but I didn’t have much of a choice. I don’t have a lot of say in things, my path has been set from the moment I was born.”

 

“I know the feeling,” Victor replied softly. He watched as Yuuri bit down on his lip. His countenance reflected an emotion that was painfully familiar to the angel who was on a predestined path of his own.

 

“I suppose you didn’t become such an accomplished virtuoso by choice then?”

 

Ruefully Victor smiled, “You could say that I suppose. Most of my choices were made for me, perhaps that’s why my adjustment to the city hasn’t been fluid.”

 

Yuuri graced the angel with another smile. It was enough to stop the faint beating of his human heart, that smile. The way it broke across the soft expanse of his golden lips, illuminating his face right up to a glimmer in those obsidian eyes. The light of the heavens were captured in Yuuri’s smile. There was something so ethereal within him, it conflicted Victor who would have been able to tell if his date was another angel. 

 

“We were cut from the same cloth, you and I,” Yuuri observed. “Maybe that’s why I was drawn to you from the moment I saw you perched at the bar rail. That and you always dress like you just stepped off a runway.”

 

Wincing playfully at the dig, Victor flung a hand over his thumping heart. “You wound me, though I’m glad this feeling isn’t one sided. I know you don’t get to choose many things in your life, but would you choose to see me again?”

 

Leaning forward, Yuuri slid his hand into Victor’s. Silver and gold, alabaster skin intertwined with the warm tone of Yuuri’s soft fingers. Their eyes met as Yuuri’s response escaped his lips like a prayer, “Yes.”

 

If Victor had been interested in Yuuri before, by the time the check was paid and they got up to leave, he was completely captivated. From the eloquent, if not mysterious, way he spoke to the artful way he grinned, smile sparkling in his eyes, he was unlike anyone the angel had encountered. The soft line of his jaw, and the curve of his supple lips were enough to beat out any face that the heavens boasted. 

 

He couldn’t help but feel as though they came from similar places, it baffled him that Yuuri could be human. One of the masses he now saw every day.  Surely there was something more, perhaps he was an archangel, disguised to tempt him. It wouldn’t matter. The fluttering of nerves in his stomach had migrated to the northern expanse of his heart as he lead Yuuri out of the restaurant, his hand resting innocently on the small of his back.

 

“Thank you,” Yuuri whispered as the two men found their way out onto the sidewalk. Victor had arranged his own ride home with Mila prior to their exit from the restaurant but ignored the black car waiting just down the block, electing to savor a few more minutes beside his date. 

 

“Of course, I hope you enjoyed yourself at least half as much as I did in your company tonight.” Victor matched the low tones of his companion and under the moon and the flickering streetlight, it felt as if it was just the two of them. The cars speeding past barely registered in his mind as his eyes remained on Yuuri, endless blues taking in the dark smoulder of the other man. 

 

They stood close together, just a breath apart, eyes locked with neither man making a move to turn away. Yuuri’s cab arrived, yet still they stood rooted to the ground. “I have to confess, I was delighted when you invited me out tonight.” Yuuri bit his lip at his admission. 

 

Victor was surprised but reigned in his countenance before his expression could give it away, “I was worried you would say no.”

 

“To you, I worry I couldn’t.” A low chuckle escaped Yuuri’s lips and his eyes noticed the car for the first time. “It looks like my ride is here, I should be going.”

 

“You could always come with me,” Victor offered. The wind blew a single tendril from Yuuri’s sculpted hair, falling across his face. Gently, the angel let his finger brush it away, admiring in awe at how the man flushed under his caress. Instead of drawing his hand back, he allowed more fingers to brush over the gold of Yuuri’s skin, caressing the curve of his jaw. Eyes just a sliver from closing, Yuuri tilted his chin toward the angel. 

 

It was instinctual, the pull Victor felt toward the waiting beauty before him. Before he could register his own actions, he felt their lips brush together, a question that needed no words. In response, Yuuri propped himself up on his toes and Victor felt his lips, warm and supple, upon his own. No nectar or ambrosia could compare to the taste of Yuuri on his lips, red wine and something so naturally sweet that it made the angel dizzy. Victor’s hands fell to the small of Yuuri’s back, begging him to draw closer, a question that was met instantaneously by the other man. 

 

Victor wasn’t sure how this was supposed to go, save for a kiss on the cheek as a means of greeting, his lips had never been pressed to another’s before. A tap on the cabbie’s horn finally broke them from the haze of a first kiss. 

 

“I should go,” Yuuri whispered, Victor felt the breath of the words on his lips. He nodded, not wanting to press the man, his own head still foggy from their brief intimacy. It was Yuuri who made the first move, pressing his lips softly to the cut of Victor’s cheekbone before stepping away to the car. He spared one more glance to the angel, a soft smile full of promise. 

 

“I’ll call…” Victor promised, something he had seen happen in a movie Christophe had shown him. This brought a chuckle from Yuuri as he slid into the back of the car. The angel made his way to the back of his Mila’s car after his date was completely out of sight, melting into the soft leather in a pure state of bliss. 

 

“I take it things went well?” Mila laughed, eyeing him in the rearview mirror. 

 

He answered not with words, but a simple nod. There was something different about Yuuri, unlike any human he had encountered before. He was ethereal, not only in his devastatingly handsome appearance, but in the way he held himself, the way he spoke. Yuuri was something else entirely and that was what made Victor excited and fearful. He wasn’t sure what or who this other man really was but he was completely smitten, wondering how long it was appropriate to wait before trying to see him again. 

 

There was one thing Victor knew for certain, as he tried to decipher his own mess of thoughts and emotions: Yuuri was no ordinary human. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are just over the halfway point now! Chapter 10 will be a sort of epilogue, and within the next three chapters, there will be answers to questions (Namely Yuuri’s identity)
> 
> I’m curious to see if anyone has already predicted who Yuuri is or what is going to happen, I’ve tried to lay down some very subtle clues-especially within this chapter!
> 
> As always, thank you all for taking the time to read this fic. Your response has been so wonderful and gives me so much pride in this story. I adore you all! 
> 
> Feel free to come find me on [Tumblr](Https://TheWaywardSong.tumblr.com/) where I post all my fic updates and art ^.^


	6. Birth of Sin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A HUGE THANK YOU to FromStarlightToDust who deals with my writing break downs and helped inspire this chapter. 
> 
> Thank you for all your guesses as to Yuuri's identity, here's a little dip into Yuuri's mind. There will be a few POV switches as we learn some new things.

_But each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death._

_James 1:14-15_

Nearly every night since Yuuri had been on Earth, there was someone in his bed. It was never the same person, no that wasn’t how these things typically went. It was always a different man, a different desire, a different deal.

 

When Eve first bit into the forbidden fruit, sin was brought into existence and along with it the seven deadly sins were born. Each made from the coals and ash of the fire in Hell, with a breath of life from Satan himself. Born for a specific purpose Greed, Envy, Wrath, Sloth, Gluttony, Pride, and Lust were Satan’s very own archangels, taking human form and creating sin, tempting human’s away from the light of righteous path.

 

Yuuri had been born as the embodiment of lust and as long as the human race had been around he was there, tempting them. Luring men and women to his bed with promises of fame, fortune, for all their troubles to go way. At a price, of course.

 

Working at the strip club had made it easy, whispering sweet promises into the ears of the patrons while he writhed in their laps. He could sense things about people, their innermost desires, their insecurities, and he could latch onto things and draw them out, leave them begging for his services. Once the deal was discussed, Yuuri took his prize, claiming them, consummating the deal. Every demon was jealous of Yuuri, his very job was to take his own pleasure in exchange for a magic trick or two and he wasn’t sure exactly when it had become such a chore.

 

Getting ready for a show was no different for Yuuri than it would be for a businessman to shrug on a sportcoat and hop on the subway to downtown. It was nearly cathartic, sitting in the row of makeup tables under the bright bulbs as he turned himself into a true fatale. Half naked, warm golden skin exposed to the lights, Yuuri tucked himself into a chair while he ran product through his hair and brushed on bronzer so the stage lights wouldn’t wash him out.

 

“Yuuri! How was the date?”

 

The demon grinned warmly into the mirror as his favorite human came into view. Phichit was a ray of sunshine in the bleak depths of Yuuri’s world. He had been baffled by it when they first met, how could a man as bright and pure as Phichit be in such a line of work, but Yuuri quickly understood. For Phichit it wasn’t about the temptation, it was about the entertainment. It was his time to shine with all lights and eyes on him. That and Phichit wasn’t as innocent as he appeared.

 

Phichit was confident, caring, and everything that Yuuri thought he could be, if his path wasn’t already spelled out by Satan himself.

 

“What date?”

 

“What date? I’m sorry but I’m pretty sure you got dinner with that silver Adonis of a man that we’ve been drooling over for weeks now?”

 

Yuuri chuckled. It was fun to get under Phichit’s skin now and again, he was always so fun riled up and it was an easy task to get him there.

 

“Oh _that_ date.” Yuuri replied simply. He plucked one of his fluffy powder brushes from the vanity and ran the bristles along his jaw, enjoying the soft tickle as they caressed his chin. Yuuri did his best to control his expression, he didn’t want to look too excited even though his heart was threatening to leap out of his chest just at the mention of Victor.

 

“Yes _that_ date,” Phichit huffed, plopping himself into the chair beside Yuuri. He wasn’t impressed with Yuuri’s act of nonchalance and expressed this with an exaggerated eye roll as he began stripping down to change clothes. “I know you get to bring a man home almost every night of your life, but for us _mere mortals_ bringing Victor home would be something to talk about. So tell me, how big is it?”

 

“Phichit!” Yuuri blushed, his face a bright crimson even under the thick layer of foundation he had on.

 

“Oh come _on,_ Yuuri. You don’t bring guys home just to pass out on the couch watching Chopped and Victor definitely looks like he is _packing_.”

 

“We didn’t-I didn’t-we just had dinner and talked. He went to his apartment and I went to mine.”

 

Phichit made no attempt to hide his disappointment, pouting at Yuuri as he peeled his pants away. He walked to the row of hanging outfits, all barely held together by string or velcro, and began digging around for his sparkling spandex shorts.

 

“So you’re telling me, that our Katsu _damn_ fatale, who I have seen bring home professional athletes, models, and some guy I’m still convinced was a European diplomat home...did _not_ get that god of a man in his bed last night?”

 

Yuuri offered an innocent smile for an answer, as innocent as it could be coming from the actual demon of lust itself.

 

Phichit threw up his hands and Yuuri broke out in a fit of laughter. “We kissed, if that gives you any comfort.”

 

“Oh okay, so you got halfway to first base.”

 

“I thought kissing was first base?”

 

“For normal people, Yuuri. You’re the town temptress, first base is getting him naked.”

 

“Do I want to know what home is?”

 

“Home is the kinky shit Yuuri, I mean really.”

 

There was a reason Yuuri had befriended Phichit when they first met, instead of seducing him. Mainly because Phichit hadn’t expressed any desires that one might make a deal with a demon for. He had dreams but they didn’t devour him, they provided him with inspiration and motivation instead, he wasn’t as corrupt as those who shared Yuuri’s bed.

 

Phichit dreamed of creating shows, grand stage shows with his own choreography and music. Name in lights, face on the cover of magazines, that was all just a bonus for him. Phichit wanted to put the work in to achieve his dreams and he wasn't looking for the easy way out that Yuuri could provide. Aside from that, Phichit made Yuuri feel human. As human as he could feel after spending thousands of years seducing people into giving up their bodies in exchange for an advantage in life. Phichit spoke to Yuuri as if he was any other person. He didn’t let the toxic aura of temptation affect their friendship and Yuuri liked to think that even if Phichit had a deal to make he wouldn’t take the payment. He couldn’t. Phichit was his first real friend in a millennia of his demon deeds.

 

Chris walked in, bright smile on his tanned face, which distracted Phichit enough to let Yuuri finish getting ready. He slipped on his own spandex shorts and dusted on the bronzer over his shoulders and chest, admiring the way his body glistened even in the mild light of the vanity bulbs.

 

“Yuuri, how was your date with Victor?” Chris came over and slung his body lazily on the back of Yuuri’s chair as he admired the man’s lithe form.

 

“Dinner was great. You’re his friend, you know what he’s like.”

 

“Hmm, I was talking about your date this afternoon.”

 

Phichit squawked in surprise, rushing over with his eyeliner still in hand, only one eye had his signature wing. He gave a playful smack to Yuuri’s arm, coating his own hand with some of the shimmering bronzer.

 

“Yuuri! You didn’t tell me you already had a second date!”

 

Yuuri blushed, turning away from his friends. The second date hadn’t really been planned, Yuuri was on his afternoon run and stopped for a smoothie after. It was pure coincidence that out of the five coffee chain locations within a three block radius of the park, he happened to stop at the same one as Victor.

 

He didn’t notice who it was in front of him, when he first got in line, Victor’s ethereal features were easily recognizable but Yuuri had been absorbed in an article on his phone and until the man ordered and Yuuri heard the melodious flow of his voice, he had remained ignorant.

 

“Venti Misto, orange scone, and whatever he wants.” Victor flashed Yuuri a perfect smile as he stepped to the register and hesitantly ordered his own drink.

 

“You didn’t have to do that,” Yuuri had blushed. The demon of lust didn’t normally blush, but it wasn’t often that he was flirted with instead of lusted after.

 

“If you’re worried about paying me back, you could sit down with me?” Victor offered, plucking their drinks from the counter and jerking his chin towards an empty table. Yuuri couldn’t deny the request, after all the man had just bought him a drink. Somehow an hour of talking and sipping at their drinks had turned into another hour walking through the park, and more time spent at a small local festival they had stumbled across.

 

“Oh! I didn’t see the time, I’ve got to go get ready. We’re headlining tonight!” The day had slipped away from Yuuri, occupied by Victor’s warm presence, and he had rushed straight from the festival to the club with the promise of a call the next day.

 

“It wasn’t really a date,” Yuuri tried to explain to Phichit, who stood there with his jaw agape like a flounder, looking even more ridiculous with only one eye done.

 

“Not the story I heard.” Chris shot a knowing look to Yuuri, his jade eyes glinted with mischief which only served to drive Phichit nuts.

 

“Two dates and you haven’t brought him home yet. Yuuri, are you okay? Are you dying from a terminal disease and you only have hours to live?”

 

Yuuri snorted. There was apparently no limit to the ridiculousness that was Phichit Chulanont. Still, it was a valid question, especially from his friend’s standpoint. Why _hadn’t_ he come home with Victor that night. The man had offered and their kiss had certainly sent enough heat to Yuuri’s groin to have taken him up on it. In that moment, however, Yuuri didn’t feel like the embodiment of lust, a sinful temptation ready to reduce the handsome prince. He didn’t want to make a deal with him.

 

It was similar to how he felt when he first met Phichit, there was no deal to make with Victor, no obvious wants or desires in exchange for a night of rough company. No, if Yuuri was to go home with Victor he wouldn’t have treated him like the other men, tearing him apart solely for the purpose of his own pleasure.

 

This was not to say that Yuuri _didn’t_ want to ravage the man senseless. He would love nothing more than to sidle up along Victor’s taught body and suck on his delectable lips. Phichit was correct, Victor looked like he was, as his friend had put it, _packing_. What Yuuri wouldn’t give to unravel him, to see the man at the peak of pleasure, pupils blown wide as his eyes never left Yuuri, his alabaster skin slick with sweat and flushed with heat. Just thinking about it caused a heat to pool in the pit of Yuuri’s stomach.

 

“We ran into each other for coffee and explored the city a bit, nothing that exciting, Phich.” Yuuri tried to avoid another inquisition. Phichit didn’t look like he was about to let Yuuri off too easily, but he was saved by the stage manager giving them their fifteen minute warning. Phichit ran back to his station to fix his other eye and Yuuri was free to return to his thoughts as he pulled on his shoes and began to lace the stilettos.

 

After their kiss Yuuri had slid into the backseat of the cab, his eyes trained forward as the car pulled out into traffic. He felt the heat of Victor’s gaze still on him, those piercing blue eyes trying to cut through the tint of the windows. Once they were on the road, he had finally allowed his shoulders to relax, relishing in the fading buzz at the back of his skull courtesy of the bottle of wine they had finished together. It would be easy to blame the onslaught of emotions on the wine, but Yuuri had drank enough in his lifetime to know what could and couldn’t be blamed on one too many glasses. Two and a half wasn’t enough to explain the heat pooling in his gut, or the tightness in his chest when he had felt Victor’s lips, soft and pliant, against his own.

 

It wasn’t how things were supposed to go. Not in the slightest. He was supposed to be the object of desire, the very embodiment of lust itself, born from the pit of hell when Eve took her first fateful bite of the forbidden fruit. He never had the luxury of a childhood, there was no innocence inside him. He was born for a singular purpose, to draw the humans away from God’s light with temptation.

 

Yuuri had been kissed many times, it came with the job and most people were very quick to jump from kissing to other things, overcome with the demon’s intoxicating aura. It was the first step to seal a deal and Yuuri’s kisses were known to hypnotize a grown man. Never had a kiss rendered Yuuri so weak, or caused such a stir of emotions alongside his lust.

 

 _Lust_. That was all Yuuri was at the end of the day. An object of desire. Just a pawn in Lucifer’s grand scheme. Kisses meant nothing to him, just a way to seal the deals he made at the crossroads. The sex was merely a means to collect payment, all part of the job. Too many had whispered their darkest desires into Yuuri’s ear while he writhed on their laps, rendering them senseless to the world they came from, inviting them into Yuuri’s world. A world where anything went. He had been subjected to every kink in the book, making deals with the pious and the sinners alike. Nobody was too good to make a deal with a devil and yet somehow Victor had no deal to make.

 

When Yuuri first spotted him, sitting up at the bar rail with the lights dancing off his platinum hair, his heart shaped grin directed to the door where Yuuri filtered in among the crowd, he thought Victor might be a demon. It was a sin to look that perfect.

 

Talking to him had only made things worse. He was the most innocent man Yuuri had ever encountered. Phichit had been joyful and full of light, but Victor was something else entirely and the two sides of Yuuri were at war with what to do. Ravishing him, stealing his innocence and filling him with Yuuri’s own darkness was appealing and if Victor had only been beautiful that would have been his fate. Then Victor had stuttered, his face blushing in a fire of color, those crystalline eyes that barred no secrets gazing upon Yuuri’s face as if they could see right into the darkness of his own soul. Yuuri couldn’t steal that innocence away, couldn’t corrupt him like the other men who had laid in his bed.

 

Imagining Victor between his sheets was painful. What Yuuri wouldn’t give to unravel him, to see him fall apart at the peak of pleasure. When he imagined it though, there was no ravishing, it wasn’t a rough fuck fueled by raw lust and carnal desire. The touches were gentle, soft caresses that whispered what words couldn’t. Yuuri would still unravel him, yes, but it wouldn’t be malicious, he wouldn’t be seeking to claim payment. It would be for Victor’s own pleasure. Yuuri wanted to hear his name echoed off the man’s lips like a prayer.

 

“ _Yuuri.”_

 

“Yuuri.”

 

“Yuuri!”

 

Snapping out of his haze, Yuuri blinked rapidly. Phichit and Chris stood in front of him, fully dressed—well, as fully dressed as they could be given their style of dancing—and looking at him expectantly.

 

“I’m ready!” Yuuri shot up from his seat, adjusting his shorts to slightly mask how his drifting thoughts had affected him. Half-hard wasn’t the worst thing to happen, plenty of dancers warmed up before taking the stage. It didn’t make it any less embarrassing when Chris let out a low whistle and Phichit snickered.

 

“I think his date went better than he was letting on, don’t you?” Chris purred in Phichit’s ear, leaning on his shoulder with a hand to his mouth as if he was trying not to let Yuuri hear. Phichit giggled uncontrollably and all Yuuri could do was blush as they were herded to the catwalk stairs by the stage manager.

 

—

 

Victor was in a strip club for the second time in his life and both times he could hold Yuuri responsible.

 

It had been a pleasant surprise, running into him at the coffee shop. Chris had gotten him started on the caffeine addiction, but really he liked the names of all the different drinks. Victor had seen enough romantic movies and tv shows with Chris to know that buying coffee for someone was a sure fire way to ask them on a date. He was delighted when Yuuri said yes and sat down with him.

 

There was a different dynamic, spending time with Yuuri after their kiss from the night before. A kiss that had awakened Victor in a way that nothing ever could, not an angel’s blessing or even the caffeinated drink he consumed. Yuuri was wonderful. They fell into easy conversation and when their drinks finally ran dry it had been easy enough to continue talking as they explored the town, both new to the city.

 

Victor had wanted to kiss Yuuri again, to feel that electricity that crackled down his spine and feel the fiery heat of Yuuri’s soft lips against his own. Not that he hadn’t been just as pleased getting a chance just to talk and be near the other man. It was easy, now that he had gotten over his initial fears and doubts, he still wasn’t entirely sure he should be doing this, he hadn’t heard of other archangels finding boyfriends during their excursions down on Earth, but Yakov has basically given his blessing and that was enough for Victor.

 

His decision to come to the strip club had been surprising even to him. The more he thought about Yuuri, talking to Yuuri, being around Yuuri, _kissing_ Yuuri, the more he thought about the men at the club. He didn’t like that. Victor hated the thought of Yuuri dancing on other men, their hungry eyes on his bare body, it wasn’t that Yuuri was _his_ per se, after all the men had barely gone on two dates but there was a special connection there. Victor felt it in his bones, soul, and everywhere, and he was certain that Yuuri must have felt it too.

 

He hoped his presence would be a welcome surprise when Yuuri came out. Victor was already seated in the black chair facing the stage before it hit him that Yuuri might be mad to see him there, he hadn’t invited him to the club after all, and it _was_ his place of work.

 

 _No,_ Victor wouldn’t let himself think like that or he would run out the door and go home before the men ever took the stage. He wasn’t as terrified as he had been the first time, more nervous than anything and he could feel a slight strain at his hips when he remembered the events that occured after his last excursion to see Yuuri work. This was probably a terrible idea, but Victor didn’t have time to change his mind before the lights went down low and the music began.

 

—

 

When Yuuri first descended from the catwalk onto the large center pole, his only focus was staying upright. Every muscle he had was flexed and focused as he wrapped his body around the pole carefully balancing his shoes on Phichit and Chris’ hips. Everything was very meticulous even though the end result was effortless.

 

As they began to slide down and the audience came into view, Yuuri’s focus was still on the careful placement of his hands and feet, not wanting to let too much pressure fall into his heels and hurt his friends. When they finally arrived at the platform, the demon allowed himself to take in the audience. It was a ritual, inhaling the aura of the club, feeding off the energy of the crowd. It unleashed the hell inside him, ignited the fire of lust.

 

Every wish, every desire, every filthy thought, Yuuri heard. It was a gift when he was doing his job and a curse in every other instance, hearing those innermost thoughts all day long. Yuuri played to each side of the stage, gyrating his hips to the music as he stretched against the pole, taking pleasure in the pull of his muscles as his leg extended above him and he leaned back against the cool metal. This elicited cheers from the crowd and a smug grin from the demon himself.

 

The change in the music signaled for the start of the lap dances and for the first time that evening, Yuuri let his eyes wander hungrily through the crowd searching for tonight’s target. He was in his element, ready to seduce and desire, bring someone begging on their knees until he granted their wish and stole his own pleasure. Dark and sinful, his eyes raked through the crowd to the black leather chair where his victim waited calmly and Yuuri’s heart jumped in his throat, his stomach falling to the floor.

 

_Victor._

 

Seated in the leather chair with the only aura of innocence in the entire room, Victor looked to Yuuri expectantly.

 

“I wasn’t expecting to see you here,” Yuuri admitted in a breathless rush as he sank into Victor’s lap. It was all he could do not to run down from the stage and catch the man’s lips in a heated kiss. He wasn’t in the right mindset for Victor’s innocence, still under a heady haze of lust from his expectations for the evening and the sheer desire that filled the room.

 

“I know,” Victor blushed, he glanced away from Yuuri nervously before forcing himself to meet his eyes. “I hope you aren’t mad I just...wanted to see you again.”

 

“You’ve seen me twice just in the past few days.”

 

Victor looked sheepishly and for a moment Yuuri regretted pointing this out, after all there was no doubt from the heat in his groin to the tightness in his chest that he was glad to see Victor. Yuuri took his hands and placed then gently on his hips as he began to move to the music.

 

Shamefully, Victor let his head droop down. _No, that wouldn’t do._

With a single finger, Yuuri brought Victor’s chin up and laid a gentle kiss to his lips. Yuuri grinned, matching the newfound heart shaped smile on Victor’s own lips as the dance continued. Because it was Victor, he found himself enjoying the dance even more than usual, treated with the slow progressing perfection of dishevelment. He toyed more than usual, expressing all the desire he had for Victor in his dance. Yuuri’s fingers tempted buttons, pulled at collars, and carded through Victor’s silver bangs as his hips rocked forward.

 

Just like a prayer whispered before bed, a small gasp escaped from Victor’s open lips and it set them both on fire. Eyes locked, Yuuri’s gyrating rhythm increased just barely staying with the tempo of the music as he let out breathy pants of his own.

 

Victor’s eyes were heavy lidded and only a sliver of blue was visible as his pupils eclipsed the irises. It was everything Yuuri had thought about but he recognized the retreating beat of the music, calling him back to the stage.

 

Tearing himself away had never been harder. Yuuri gentle removed Victor’s hands from his hips and pulled his face away from the inviting crevice where Victor’s neck met his shoulder. Just as he moved to hope off the man’s lap and return to the stage, he felt a hand on his arm, clinging to him with need.

 

“Come with me. After you’re done. Please?”

 

There was no way Yuuri could deny him. Silver hair in a beautiful mess like a halo under the flashing lights, eyes radiating a desire that Yuuri hadn’t seen in anyone before, bottom lip red and swollen from where Victor had bit down to hold back any sound from escaping; Victor was beautiful, irresistible, like an angel.

 

_An angel._

 

“Don’t take your eyes off me.” Yuuri responded with a firm nod. He retreated to the stage and felt the heat of Victor’s gaze on him with every step.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always thank you so much for taking the time to read this fic. I absolutely love getting to share this story with you. We are in the second half of the fic which means things are going to start progressing pretty fast. I am so excited for what's to come that I can barely contain myself!
> 
> Feel free to find me on [Tumblr](https://thewaywardsong.tumblr.com/) where I post fic updates and art. I absolutely love getting to hear your thoughts on the story! Thank you again for all your support!


	7. The False Apostle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri comes to a realization that could prove fateful for his newfound love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so sorry that it’s been over a month since I updated! I moved into a new place, started a new job, and I’ve finally settled in to be able to write again. I’m excited for the final arc of the story so expect the last few chapters over the next few weeks~
> 
> An extra special thank you to [FromStarlightToDust](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fromstarlighttodust/pseuds/FromStarlightToDust) my amazing beta who kept me going during these trying times and inspired me to write again. Without her I would never get anything finished!

_ For such people are false apostles, deceitfulworkers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. _

_ 2 Corinthians 11:13-14 _

 

Angels didn’t do this. 

 

Angels didn’t kiss handsome men in dark corridors while they were pulled towards apartments with the promise of sin hanging heavy in the air. 

 

Angels didn’t allow themselves to be consumed by lust to the point where they had lost all inhibition, lost all their faith. It shouldn’t have been so easy.

 

Yet there Victor was, heaven running through his veins while Yuuri’s hand ran along his thigh and his tongue traced the expanse of his neck.  The same neck that was stretched out like an offering to the very God that Victor had forsaken. What a sad excuse for an angel, giving up on himself just for a handsome man’s attentions, giving in to his flesh driven desires with barely a second thought. He had been heaven’s pride and joy, singing with his lyre and bestowing his blessing to Earth since man took his first steps. 

 

It took one man to unravel him. 

 

Unraveled. That was what Victor had become, was becoming, underneath Yuuri’s expert touch. Every breath was a inferno on his skin, every kiss a command, every touch a claim over him. Perhaps that was Victor’s fatal flaw, too ready to serve, but even more ready to bask in the attentions. Just as Lucifer fell from his own vanity, Victor fell from his need to be adored. 

 

Yuuri adored him, or at least his body. Yuuri expressed this adoration with friction from his hips as he continued to pull Victor down the hall to the bed where he had claimed so many before him. Caught in a haze of his own lust, Victor followed obediently, a lamb to slaughter. It was hard to tell where the angel ended and the demon began, tangled limbs fell onto the bed and Yuuri finally managed to slip his fingers past the barrier of clothes between them. 

 

Shirts pooled at the foot of the bed, too soon kicked to the floor in the frenzy of the two men above. Alabaster limbs splayed across the bed, drenched in the sliver of starlight that peeked through the blinds. A reminder of the heavens looking down on him, had only Victor paid attention. Yuuri continued his attentions, tracing a tongue from the angel’s sharp collar bones down to his protruding hips. Responding automatically, Victor’s hips lifted toward the heat of Yuuri’s mouth and the demon quickly took advantage of the motion to peel back more layers of clothes. 

 

Standing proudly against his stomach, Victor’s erection twitched at the cool air as it sprung free, the tip glistening in the heaven’s light as Yuuri sat back on his heels to admire his work. The most beautiful man he had come across in thousands of years lay before him, panting, wanting, whining and calling out for Yuuri to take him. It should have been easy. Nothing he hadn’t done many times before. Yuuri made to wrap his mouth around Victor, to taste his sweet flesh and begin to unravel him, finally breaking perfection apart bit by bit. Just as his tongue parted through his lips, it came back to him. 

 

Victor, hair shining in the light of the bar, silver hair glowing around a face that belonged in a museum. Victor, playing piano with his eyes closed as if the music flowed from inside him and not from the keys that his fingers seemed to hover above. Victor, in the club, hair in disarray courtesy of Yuuri’s hand, crowning around his head like a halo. 

 

_ Like an angel. _

 

_ An angel.  _

 

Yuuri stopped, eliciting a soft whine from Victor at the absence. The demon scrambled back off the bed until he was nearly pressed against the wall. 

 

_ An angel. _

 

Why hadn’t he realized it sooner? The out of place accent, the childlike naivety, the way Victor looked like he was sculpted by God himself.  In fact, he probably had been. 

 

“Yuuri?” Victor’s soft voice cut through the panic as he sat up. Between the silver threads of his bangs, Victor peered up at Yuuri in a trance. This wasn’t how Yuuri wanted this to go. He hadn’t meant for things to get this far. Victor had fallen under his spell, but had no deal to make, nothing to consummate. 

 

“Victor, I’m sorry. We can’t do this.”

 

That seemed to break the haze. Victor’s silver brows knit together in confusion and he stared at Yuuri across the dark room. Cringing, Yuuri quickly looked away. Bathed in the moonlight, as naked as the day he was born, Victor looked like perfection which only confirmed Yuuri’s assumptions. 

 

“Yuuri, why I-?”

 

Yuuri shook his head and reached into the dresser drawers, taking out a pair of pajamas and laying them at Victor’s feet. The angel curled up on the bed, still shooting questioning looks as Yuuri redressed himself. 

 

“You’re welcome to stay...I-I can’t offer you an explanation. I just, don’t want you to be like the others.”

 

“The others?”

 

Yuuri ignored Victor’s pleading face, leaving the room to give the angel privacy to make his decision.

 

Seated on the bed, Victor watched Yuuri’s lithe form slip into the darkness of the hallway. He let himself fall back against the pillows, confused by the man’s behavior but at the same time there was a sense of relief. A weight missing despite the heaviness of his confusion given the current circumstances. Mere seconds ago Yuuri had dark hungry eyes on him, devouring him with his gaze and his mouth, tearing Victor apart at the seams. And Victor, Victor had been ready, he had lost his mind, ready to give up everything he had worked for. 

 

Perhaps Yuuri was doing him a favor. Giving him a chance to fulfill his quest, but did Victor stand a chance after everything that had transpired? When he stood before Gabriel and Michael, the rest of the angels, would they cast him out or welcome him into their ranks despite his sinful thoughts?

 

One leg at a time, Victor slipped off the bed and into the pajama pants. They fit snug to Victor’s form, given the difference in his and Yuuri’s sizes, the shirt stretched across his chest though it did give him a certain safety, being clothed again. 

 

“Yuuri,” he called out, his voice falling into the night as the smaller man made his way back in the room. Gel combed out of his hair, and his glasses on, Yuuri didn’t look like the embodiment of sex as he slipped under the covers, holding up one side to invite Victor to join him. 

 

Obediently, the angel slipped between the sheets. It was not how either one expected the night to go, but as Yuuri carefully pulled Victor to his chest and pressed his lips to the silver locks that shone in the moonlight. Victor settled in, his mind still fluttering, trying to make sense of the situation as he slowly succumbed to sleep.

 

As the angel’s breathing settled, the demon laid his head back and tried to focus on the rhythmic breathing. In his millenia of lust and desire, never had anyone seduced Yuuri’s own heart, and yet he lay there with an angel pressed against it, more terrified than he had been in his entire existence. 

 

—

 

Confused only began to express how Victor felt waking up to find Yuuri’s pajamas stretched tight across his back and Yuuri’s limbs tangled around his own. The light of the morning had just started to peek through the blinds, the sun loudly declaring that it would be a gorgeous day. He watched the rise and fall of Yuuri’s chest as the man continued to sleep, until he finally wiggled out of their sloppy embrace to make his way to the bathroom. Part of him was relieved at the night’s turn of events, perhaps there was still a small chance that he could become an archangel when he returned. 

 

Perhaps Yuuri had unknowingly done him a favor, perhaps there was some divine intervention at work, but either way Victor had managed to keep what was left of his purity for another night. As he snuck back into the bedroom he was pleasantly surprised to find Yuuri peering up at him, awake enough to have put his glasses on and sat up in bed, his phone lit up in his lap. 

 

“Good morning,” came Victor’s groggy greeting as he slipped his legs under the covers, his body instantly gravitating toward Yuuri. 

 

A light flush spread across Yuuri’s cheeks as he returned the sentiment with a soft smile. The two stared at each other for a moment, each coming to terms with the night before in their own way, feeling each other out for how the morning was going to progress. There was a certain awkwardness to a morning after when nothing had actually occurred the evening before. 

 

“Breakfast?” Yuuri offered, assuming the role of a proper host. Victor smiled in agreement and the two slowly peeled themselves from the bed and worked in a comfortable silence to make their morning meal, though Yuuri had to continuously stop and give Victor directions. Despite having been on Earth for a bit now, Victor still had to actively restrain himself from using his blessing to manifest food out of thin air.

 

There was a certain simplicity about the morning that was comforting in the aftermath. Victor was relieved to finally be around Yuuri without all of the strange urges that compelled his body, without the constant heat pooling in his gut that would refuse to relent. They ate together with just enough discussion to keep silence at bay and after assisting with the dishes, Victor was on his way back home. 

 

“So you did  _ not _ get laid?” Christophe repeated his question as he wiped down the bar rail, Victor obediently lifting his arms to let the Swiss man swipe the rag underneath before responding.

 

“I did. I laid in bed with him and we slept.”

 

Chris blinked at him, wondering to himself if Victor was being purposefully obtuse or if he was really that naive. Either way he shrugged and slung the towel on the edge of the sink before setting to work hanging up glasses. 

 

“So what now then?”

 

“I-I’m not sure,” Victor admitted, chewing on his lip as he stared down his reflection in the newly cleaned marble. 

 

“Have you called him?”

 

“Well no. Am I supposed to?”

 

Chris gave another nonchalant shrug and it was enough for Victor to feel guilty. Nearly every evening since he had arrived, he sat at Chris’ bar rail and his human gave him advice. Chris had gotten him his job at the piano bar, listened to his woes about Yuuri, and had given him all the tools he needed to blend in as much as he could. It was another slap in the face at how poorly he had acted since he left heaven, not giving a single thought to his mission. Not sparing even a few minutes to really help Chris. A few months had passed and Chris was still slinging drinks at the bar and slinging himself around poles at the strip club. 

 

“Christophe, what is your dream?”

 

“My dream?”

 

“Yes.” Victor peered up at him through the silver strands that fell in front of his eyes, chin perched on his hands like a child waiting for a story. Chris stared back, perhaps waiting for Victor to explain himself but upon receiving no further context a soft sigh escaped his lips. 

 

“I wanted to dance with the ballet company, go on tour around the world and eventually settle down and perhaps do choreography, maybe retire and own my own bar. I do like winding down like this.” He motioned to the sparsely filled rail with a melancholy smile. “It’s not practical. Until you make it there’s no money and my apartment is too expensive not to be working every second. I’ve stayed in shape but I haven’t been practicing, haven’t got the time.”

 

“What if you did have the time? What if money wasn’t an issue?” Victor pressed. As inexperienced as he was with reading people, he could tell that Chris was sincere in his wishes. 

 

“Well yea, I’d probably pursue it again but Victor, I’m getting old. There’s not many years left in that career and I would be getting started so late.”

 

Victor cocked his head to the side, his hair cascading off the slope of his forehead where he tapped a finger to his temple. His head felt so clear after the events of the night before, he could feel his blessing surging just beneath his skin, a newfound energy that he hadn’t noticed had been waning away before. Chris turned his attentions to another guest, ending the conversation and Victor, who was due at the piano bar in just over an hour, finished his sampling of a new Chardonnay and took his leave. 

 

Making his way to the door, Victor watched his friend mill around the bar, grinning over empty glasses and moving back and forth between guests with such grace. He deserved to have his dream, to find his place in the stage, surely as the music still flowed through his veins, he could help him. Perhaps he could give Chris a bit of his own blessing, breathe new life into his legs, his blessing would manifest in a beautiful flash of light as Christophe took the stage, his dream realized.

 

Just the thought made Victor’s blood rush, his heart felt light and free, he was able to rejoice once more. His feet carried him quickly, block after block, turns and alleys, the angel floated down the streets of the city until the wind blew him in the door of the piano bar. 

 

Still riding on the high of new hope, his fingers set the piano ablaze with music. Fingertips barely tickled the keys and perhaps they didn’t need to, his blessing ebbed and flowed in such a way that Victor felt at home at the piano. At home in the strange surroundings of Earth, at home and at peace for the first time since his feet touched the ground. Resounding from the exposed strings of the piano, the music blanketed around him until the mingling crowd of the bar was but a small nuisance that barely registered on the angel’s radar.

 

A strike of lightning in a dark storm, Victor felt his blessing wrap around the notes of the piano, swelling into a new song. A song of hope, a song of promise, a song that captivated every emotion coursing through him, announcing his soul’s freedom to the world as it culminated and crescendoed into the final notes. 

 

Relaxing his shoulders, Victor realized he hadn’t been breathing. He had his eyes closed and as the endless blue took in his surroundings, the echo of the dying notes faded into a roar of applause. A reminder of his fatal flaw as the angel bowed before attacking the keys once more, the thunder of adoration only fueling his pride, his blessing, his hope.

 

—

 

“Yea, no that sounds good. We can meet at 7?”

 

“8 then, that should be fine.”

 

Yuuri walked into his apartment on a Sunday afternoon, after having just met Victor for lunch. Since he removed his temptation of lust from the mix, he and Victor had spent plenty of time together. Meeting for lunches before they parted ways to evening jobs, cuddling up on the couch to watch movies which nearly always guaranteed that the angel would fall asleep on Yuuri’s shoulder and demand a recap of the ending when the credit music woke him. 

 

It was comfortable, it was quiet, and just as lust had elicited such confusing feelings for Victor, this simple domesticity roused something in Yuuri that he could not quite wrap his head around. There was an abundance of attraction, an electric chemistry that seemed to bind the two together, Heaven and Hell meeting at last. Yuuri understood that, Victor wasn’t the first person he had taken interest in, though things were certainly going on longer than Yuuri had experience with. 

 

A typical attraction might gain an honest courtship from Yuuri for all of a day or so before the object of his affections would find himself between the sheets, leaving the same night with no memory of what transpired. That was Yuuri’s role, collect what was due to him, make the deal, and send them on their way none the wiser. It was despicable if one really dissected it, but what else could be expected from a deadly sin, a crowned demon from Hell itself.

 

With Victor, Yuuri has focused all his attentions, keeping them pure. It had taken him days before he could muster the confidence to kiss those soft and pliant lips once more, terrified that when he did the spell would be cast and the pair would once again find themselves in a dangerous tango that could only end one way. In the meanwhile, nobody shared Yuuri’s sheets with him, save for the evenings when Victor was too tired to go home and would rest his head on Yuuri’s chest, snoring softly while the heavens watched. No clothes removed, no writhing, no grinding, but somehow it gave Yuuri such joy. He was at peace in the presence of his angel, a happiness that he never believed he could find, given what he was.

 

Yuuri should have known better. Good things come to those who reside in the kingdom of Heaven and God’s children alone, happiness, love, and hope were banished from Hell. 

 

The reminder of this was perched on the back of his sofa as he walked through the door and dropped his bag on the floor beside the shoe rack.

 

“Phichit, I-I have to let you go. I’m home, I’ll see you tonight, okay?”

 

Yuuri tapped the button on his phone to shut the screen off and slipped the device into his pocket before allowing his eyes to rest on the ominous intruder. 

 

“Cao Bin,” he greeted icily, “it’s been a while.”

Uncrossing his legs and standing from the sofa, Cao Bin rose, his dark form consuming the living room. The demon was an enigma, Lucifer’s right hand who oversaw the demons, though he hadn’t seemed to pay much attention to the deadly sins before. Yuuri’s stomach dropped at what kind of trouble could have brought the most fearsome demon save for Satan himself, to stop by like this.

 

Casually, Cao Bin ran his eyes over Yuuri, taking in his loose sweater and jeans, the thick rimmed glasses, and his hair which fell haphazardly across his face. 

 

“Is this what Lust looks like on his days off, or is this how you’re capturing pitiful souls these days?” His voice rumbled with a disturbing laugh that seemed to shake the walls with its dark resonance.

 

“I don’t capture souls I-”

 

The demon cut Yuuri off before he could finish, a wave of his clawed hand causing the words to catch in Yuuri’s throat. He gasped and sputtered as his own voice choked him, and Cao Bin merely smiled, his sharp teeth bared as his lips curled back.

 

“That’s right, you just make deals and lure people to your bed to consummate them, because that makes you feel better about your job when you work for the king of Hell, doesn’t it?”

 

Yuuri remained quiet, knowing that Cao Bin was merely trying to draw a rise out of him. Still standing in the hallway, not quite brave enough to breach the imagined barrier between himself and the living room, Yuuri shifted his weight between feet. He stood proudly under Cao Bin’s curious gaze, his eyes never leaving the demon as he slithered forward, his voice becoming slick and toxic as he purred into Yuuri’s ear, closing the proximity between them.

 

“Someone hasn’t been doing their job though, have they?”

 

Yuuri shuddered.  _ So that’s what this is about.  _ Cao Bin wasn’t wrong, since the first night he brought Victor home, no other man had crossed the threshold of his bedroom. No other man shared his sheets, felt the desire that Yuuri was capable of inspiring in others. He and Victor’s relationship was complicated in the least, but as complex as a budding romance between a demon and an angel could be, he hadn’t wanted to taint it with continuing his work. It had been a matter of time before someone would realize something was going on, the deals he made fueled Hell’s fire and kept the other sins alive just as their deeds fueled his own power. Yuuri shouldn’t have been surprised, yet his stomach still twisted in knots under Cao Bin’s judgemental gaze.

 

A lion stalking its prey, Cao Bin circles around Yuuri, drawing him closer. His breath felt like fire, flicking over Yuuri’s neck as he hissed in his ear, “I bet I know  _ why _ you’ve been slacking, Lust.”

 

It was hard to keep the fear from his dark eyes as Yuuri met the yellow slits that bore into his soul, scouring for the truth. Yuuri was out of practice, having not been to the pits of Hell in years since his last reincarnation. 

 

“You never learn, love isn’t meant for demons Yuuri. He only spends time with you because of your sin, your temptation, it’s not  _ love,”  _ Cao Bin spat the word as if the taste of it was toxic to him. “It’s only desire.”

 

“It was.” Yuuri admitted, trying to gauge how much the demon actually knew, he wouldn’t put it past Cao Bin to bluff in order to seem like he knew more than he did. 

 

“Oh but let me guess, you removed your spell and now you’re going to fall in love?” The demon stopped pacing, forcing Yuuri to meet his penetrating gaze with a solid gulp. “You know what he is. You really think he would give up his wings to be with you? If he knew what you were? What you’ve done?”

 

Yuuri knew he was right. There was nothing for he and Victor, it would be impossible for Yuuri to become an angel after he had sinned for so long and he doubted Victor would give up the kingdom of Heaven if he knew who Yuuri was. Yet something, somewhere inside him still pulled him to Victor in a way that no one had before, as if their destinies were intertwined.

 

“Here’s what’s going to happen, Lust.” Cao Bin barked, with a clutch of his fist Yuuri’s body seized and flew to the recliner in the living room where force alone held his hands to the armrests and his back against the seat. Another flick of the wrist wrenched Yuuri’s chin up, forcing him to face straight ahead and stare down the other demon.

 

“You’re going to lure your little angel boyfriend here and tell him exactly who you are and after you’ve broken his fragile little heart,” Cao Bin pauses with a wicked smile as a small sword materialized in his hands, a blade of light and a handle made from solid gold. “You will plunge this into it.”

 

Yuuri couldn’t take his eyes off the blade, no normal sword would be enough to kill an angel, let alone a near archangel, but this was Lucifer’s own angel blade. The one relic left from Heaven, a treasure that under Lucifer’s own hand had slain plenty. 

 

“I won’t! I-You can’t force me!” Yuuri called out bravely, though the crack and tremble in his voice gave his facade away.

 

“You will, or I’ll do it myself and isn’t that so much worse?” The demon grinned once more before releasing his hold on Yuuri. 

 

“You have one week,  _ Yuuri _ ,” Cao Bin purred the human name for the lust demon, not bothering to hide the spite from his low voice.

 

The force gone, Yuuri collapsed to the ground, tears welling in his eyes. For some, the years of turmoil and pain, the years of trickery would have strengthened them, but for Yuuri it made him broken. Had he a choice he would have found a different path eons ago, but as things stood he was left with one choice—kill Victor himself or allow Cao Bin to do the honors. 

 

“Pitiful,” he demon huffed, snapping his fingers and vanishing from the room.

 

Yuuri remained on the floor, his heart heavier than he had ever felt before, already filled with guilt for what he would have to do. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you so much for reading! Your kudos and comments mean the world to me~
> 
> Buckle up for these next few chapters friends and remember I believe in fairytales, so happy endings are always on the horizon!
> 
> Come find me on [Tumblr](https://thewaywardsong.tumblr.com/) where I post fic updates, art, and plenty of YOI.


	8. Judas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri makes his decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Tags have been updated my friends, we are getting down to the nitty gritty. Please bear with me, I always promise happy endings but we have some things to get through before we get there!
> 
> Major thanks to FromStarlightToDust for her amazing beta work. I excitedly wrote this chapter in one sweep late at night and without her it probably wouldn’t make sense!

_But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying The Son of Man with a kiss?”_

_Lucas 22:48_

 

“Yes! Christophe! That was beautiful!”

Phichit clapped his hands as Chris took a bow, his smile shining under the spotlights upon him. It was Friday morning, Victor and Phichit sat at a table in the bar below Victor’s apartment while Chris performed on the small stage used for the occasional evening crooner. Little by little over the course of the last week or so, Victor had been using his blessing on Christophe to give him the strength and stamina to dance again.

It was the Swiss man’s own talent that allowed him to dance as beautifully as he did, but the blessing certainly did help him rise up to par in record time, which was perfect since Victor had used his blessing a bit more to secure an audition with a local company. He still felt odd using his blessing persuasively like that, but reasoned with himself that he was only carrying out his duty and therefore it couldn’t be so wrong.

Christophe was aware of Victor’s plan. Reluctant to agree at first, he had allowed Victor to bestow a small blessing on him just to try it out. After taking the first few familiar steps of an old routine, feeling the memories of dances before course through his muscles as they carried him through it, as if no time had passed, he was convinced.

“It isn’t cheating? To be blessed by an angel?”

“I don’t think there’s a rule _against_ it,” Victor had reasoned with his friend. It wasn’t a very solid argument but it was enough for Chris to agree to the plan.

Blessings later, he performed for his friends, living proof that Victor was still following his path and might have a shot at becoming an archangel after all.

“Chris there’s no way you won’t get into that company!” Phichit cried, his face lit up with excitement. Though he wasn’t aware of the finer details of the plan—he was still convinced that Victor was a naive Russian piano player—Phichit had been delighted to hear of Chris’ plan to return to dance.

“Not a soul would guess that you missed a single day of dancing,” Victor murmured in agreement.

Chris’ eyes shone, his joy evident from his steps to the flush across his face. Victor couldn’t have been more proud.

As happy for his blessed companion as he was, Victor couldn’t help but spare a glance toward the bar door. They were able to use the stage in the mornings but it was nearly time to take leave before the early afternoon rush stopped by, ready for a pint before they staggered through the rest of their day. Yuuri had promised to join them this morning, after having a week full of excuses as to why he couldn’t join his friends for Chris’ exhibitions.

Yuuri had yet to make an appearance at the bar in the evening either, nor had he been as responsive to Victor’s texts and emails. Phichit said Yuuri had been a little off since Sunday, perhaps he wasn’t feeling well. Still, something weighed heavy in Victor’s stomach, it was unlike Yuuri to be distant like this, not in his usual mysterious manner either.

Preoccupied with his thoughts, Victor failed to notice that Chris had already gone through the next dance in his repertoire, only managing to focus as the music subsided and the blond struck his final pose. He joined in with Phichit’s cheering, feigning a smile as he congratulated Chris.

A third pair of hands contributed to the applause. Without hesitation, Victor’s head snapped toward the door to see Yuuri standing awkwardly in the doorway as he clapped politely. The angel couldn’t help but grin at the sight of him, flushed from the fresh air, hair a bit in disarray not too unlike how it was when he woke up beside Victor. If he was honest, it was Victor’s favorite version of Yuuri, soft and beautiful like he belonged with Victor in Heaven.

“Yuuri! You made it!” Phichit jumped from his chair, grabbing his friend by the arm and leading him inside the dining area. “Did you see Chris’ dance? Isn’t he divine? It’ll be heartbreaking not having him dance with _us_ anymore.”

Yuuri gave an airy chuckle at Phichit’s lament but Victor could tell something was off. Those dark eyes, usually so open and inviting, shifted around the room as if they couldn’t decide where to land, resting everywhere but on Victor. Heart fluttering, the angel couldn’t help but wonder if it was something he had done, racking his brain to their last interactions. They had dined together the previous weekend perhaps Yuuri had food poisoning? The movie hey had watched last, maybe a Yuuri was having horrible nightmares, the dinosaurs in the film _had_ been quite realistic.

“It looks good Chris, really,” Yuuri managed to keep his gaze on Chris as he spoke, offering what must have been an attempt at a reassuring smile.

“You should have seen the first number, such elegance you would have thought he was an angel,” Victor added softly, his eyes never leaving Yuuri’s countenance as the man turned to face him for the first time since he walked through the doors.

“An angel,” Yuuri repeated. The words seemed to hang in the air as the gaze between the two men lingered, thankfully their friends had become rather accustomed to the romantic tension that had blossomed over the previous months and Phichit merely rolled his eyes, shaking his head at Chris with a knowing smile.

“Afternoon drunks will be in soon, shall we tidy up?” Phichit mused, pulling himself up on the stage and taking Chris by the arm as the two retreated backstage, no doubt to poke some fun at their love struck friends.

“I missed you this week,” Victor offered as the silence settled in the room.

Yuuri cleared his throat, diverting his gaze as he answered. “Yes, I’m sorry about that. I had a visit from an old friend...it was a bit unexpected.”

“Oh!” The angel blushed, embarrassed by his previous assumptions. “Will they be at your show this evening then?”

“No. They went home, it was a short visit but it put a bit of a wrench in the week’s plans.”

“I see.”

The two men sat beside each other, the minutes ticking away until they would be joined by businessmen attempting to drink away their Friday afternoon. An unacknowledged standoff between angel and demon, before Yuuri finally sighed and broke the weight of the silence.

“I missed you too, Vitya.”

The nickname only served to pull at Victor’s heartstrings while simultaneously giving him a semblance of relief at the reassurance that Yuuri wasn’t regretting their blossoming love or actively trying to avoid the angel.

“You should come over tomorrow night,” Yuuri continued. He carded a hand through his mop of black hair, usually so pristinely styled but today it was tousled as if he had ran the entire way to the bar. Victor thought he was breathtaking, his dark eyes full of expression behind the thick rimmed lenses.

“Of course, will you be working?”

Yuuri shook his head.

“No, I took the night off. After my...friend visited, I was worried I would be too busy to see you this week. I told them something came up for Saturday and I thought we could spend the evening together?”

Barely able to hold back his excitement, Victor nodded zealously. “Yes, of course! Should I make a reservation for us? Maybe that new place up the road from—”

“No—,” Yuuri interrupted, clearing his throat to compose himself before he continued. “No, I thought I could make dinner for us. I’ll take care of everything, just bring yourself.”

“Yuuri!” Victor gasped, clasping a hand to his lips as his eyes shone with excitement. “You’re going to cook for me?”

In response, the demon flushed as he nodded, again running his hands through his hair as he looked away from the silver angel’s trusting gaze.

“Y-yes, I have to be going now but I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

Victor nodded. “Of course, I’ll see you then.”

With a soft bow of goodbye, Yuuri took his leave, Victor remaining in his wake full of hope for their upcoming evening together though he lamented that Yuuri hadn’t given him a kiss goodbye. Certainly they would make it up tomorrow evening he reassured himself as he peeled himself from the dining chair to search for his remaining companions backstage. As he made his way the angel couldn’t help but keep a skip in his step, full of hope, full of love.

—

The first night after Cao Bin’s visit, Yuuri hadn’t moved from his bed. He laid wrapped in sheets and blankets, tear stained cheeks hot and head full as he considered his options.

The second day he denied what had happened, carrying on as if it was another day. Yuuri practically threw himself at Victor, devoting himself to the man’s every wish and never leaving his side. Like a lost puppy, he trailed after him from his daily visit to Chris downstairs, to a shift at the piano bar, to the grocery store to pick out a new set of dish towels after he managed to shred his previous ones in the washing machine—something Yuuri was very curious about but attributed it to angelic innocence.

The third day brought with it an omen of sorts, Yuuri found the angel blade, Lucifer’s own from his days in Heaven, tucked among his boxers as he got dressed in the morning. The message was clear, Cao Bin was watching and his time was running out.  

Yuuri should have known, carrying on with an angel as though it wouldn’t have its consequences, on Earth it felt like Hell’s eyes rivaled even that of Heaven. There wasn’t much of a choice, on one hand if he were the one to kill Victor he could ensure a swift death and perhaps the angel would be none the wiser to his betrayal. There was no afterlife for an angel or a demon. There would only be the eons of pain and torture that Yuuri would put himself through as he grieved, he could never forgive himself for taking away the most beautiful light from the universe. On the other hand he could allow the week to run out, bask in Victor’s love for a little while longer, he would be forced to live without Victor but perhaps it would lessen his guilt if the angel’s death was not at his own hand.

There was no guarantee. There was no easy way out. Either way Victor was dead. Either way Yuuri would spent the all of time mourning the loss of the only one to capture his heart, perhaps it would be enough to kill him. Perhaps a broken heart would be enough to kill Lust itself, a deadly oxymoron that would allow his existence to cease and with it all the deals that were tucked in his bed might come undone. A bit less sin in the world, a bit more freedom, it would be the best for everyone, he thought.

On the final night of his borrowed time, Yuuri set the scene. He started the rice as he went from room to room lighting candles, sprinkling rose petals as he went until his apartment looked like a scene from one of those cheesy romance movies that his Victor was so fond of. Carefully, with a slow, concentrated precision, he folded cloth napkins into delicate flowers and placed them in the center of the white ceramic bowls that adorned the two place settings. With the softest touch, the demon arranged the bouquet of roses in the center of the table, adjusting the accenting lilies nervously until he heard the knock he had been both eagerly waiting for and dreading because it meant the night was really happening.

Time ticked on as he trudged to the door, seconds flew away as he twisted the handle and allowed the solid barrier to swing away.

Victor was a vision in white. Both his chinos and the shirt he wore were a stark contrast against the dark hallway he stood in, only serving to illuminate his face as he smiled brightly, unaware of the night’s intentions.

“Yuuri! Aren’t you going to invite me in?” Victor teased as he leaned in toward the demon for a familiar kiss, a simple greeting that Yuuri savored knowing it would be their last. He wanted to remember every detail of this night, from the way Victor’s silver lashes fluttered against his cheek, to the heady scent of something that could have been a cologne or perhaps was just the way the angel smelled, divine and ethereal. A feeling of home unlike anything Yuuri had experienced, having never had a home but the depths of Hell itself which smelled of fire and brimstone, a stench that one might be able to ignore after millennia but managed to linger in his nose.

Stepping across the threshold and into the apartment, Victor sealed the fate of the night as Yuuri closed the door behind them, a physical metaphor for the end of the most beautiful love he had ever known.

The clock said it was nine when the two sat down to dinner. Yuuri filled their bowls with rice and steaming pork cutlets that Victor marvelled over as if they had never been out to grand dinners with more exquisite fare. When Yuuri said as much, however, he was met with plenty of protest from the angel.

“I don’t care where a meal is served or how much it cost, knowing you made it for me is better than even the finest things that money can buy!” Victor’s words were firm, there could be no doubt that he had the utmost confidence in Yuuri’s cooking, though as he prepared his first bite he paused a moment. “What is this called anyway?”

“Katsudon,” Yuuri replied as he bit back his laughter with a strip of the cutlet. “My...mother used to make it for me.”

That was only half a lie. Before his current placement, he stayed with a Japanese family who ran an onsen in Hasetsu. Their son had passed away when he was overseas in college and Yuuri was there to assume his form and take his place for several years before his borrowed body grew old and he was forced to leave. The family had gotten their son for twenty more years than they would have if Yuuri hadn’t intervened, never the wiser as the demon was sure to play the part as well as he could while carrying out his more sinister duties. The mother, Hiroko her name was, often made the dish for the guests and as it had been her son’s favorite, Yuuri was often treated to a bowl on the evenings he was home. It was one of the few situations where his deals were not consummated in his own bed, not wanting to taint the family’s image of their son.

“Wow! Delicious!” Victor cried out as he took his first bite. It didn’t take long for him to dive into his meal, while Yuuri picked at his food as he watched the minutes tick by in the clock until Victor’s bowl, was clean and he cleared their dishes. He denied the angel’s offer to help clean up, taking him by the hand and guiding him to the sofa.

It was eleven when the pair moved from the living room to the bedroom, the final hour ticking down as Yuuri pulled his angel into a kiss. A kiss deeper than the ones they shared in the couch, the nips and soft presses that were full of an innocent love. This kiss was stronger, needier, speaking words that would never cross Yuuri’s lips, that Victor would never hear. They were promises that would be broken in an hour and yet would carry on with Yuuri for the remainder of his days.

A kiss for _I love you._

A kiss for _I’ll never forget you._

One flowed into two, flowed into three, until they were inseparable, Heaven and Hell united in something so forbidden and yet so perfect that it was shocking that it wasn’t by Heaven’s own design.

Victor let a soft sigh of surprise escape him as Yuuri desperately guided him through the room and pressed him down into the bed. There were no spells this time, no cloud of lust that would affect their judgement or cross any lines. That wasn’t what Yuuri was after, despite having considered it almost every day since their fates were sealed. It would be such a selfish thing to take Victor’s innocence, to ruin him as an angel for Yuuri’s own peace of mind and fulfillment. It was difficult not to push things further, with Victor hot against him and the rush from the evening coursing freshly through his veins.

It was eleven-thirty when Yuuri pulled away, stifling laughter as Victor’s lips gravitated toward him.

The demon chewed at his lip nervously while his partner adjusted himself, wide blues a bit confused at the pause in their activities as he cocked a silver brow, face illuminated in the pale moonlight.

“Victor, I need to tell you something and there isn’t much time.”

The angel’s face contorted form confusion to concern, his brows furrowing at Yuuri’s pained expression.

“Yuuri I can stay tonight, it’s fine I—”

“No,” he interrupted. “No, please let me speak.”

Victor’s silence was his agreement and he calmly waited curling himself up at the head of the bed while Yuuri gains his composure.

“I know what you are, Victor. You’re an angel, the musician’s muse and you have danced in the courts of Heaven and played your songs for the Lord. You’ve come here to earn your place as an archangel and I suspect that Christophe was your subject.

I know this because I know of Heaven, very intimately. I was born in Hell, I’m a demon Victor.”

Yuuri managed to start his speech with a certain strength about him though as Victor began to process his words, his beautiful brow began to furrow as he sought to understood. The demon continued, never breaking his gaze though his voice faltered as he began to struggle under his angel’s piercing gaze.

“I am one of the seven deadly sins, Lust, and when we first met I fear you fell under my spell. It was never my intention to captivate you in that way and when I discovered you were a heavenly host, I made sure to end my trickery, as I had begun to fall in love with you.

Everything since has been real, Vitya I need you to understand this.”

Pausing for a response, the demon reached to Victor.

“Yuuri you…”

“Anything you feel for me in this moment, is true. Just like the love I feel for you. It was like you were made for me, Victor, and I for you but Heaven couldn’t be so kind and I am not worthy of your love. Time is running out, I need to know if you truly love me, despite who I am.”

A long minute went by before Victor spoke again. “If you knew who I was, why didn’t you tell me?”

The angels voice was low, dark like Yuuri hadn’t heard before and when he looked forward his gaze was icy, his eyes steely and penetrating.

“I cried for repentance after the nights we spent together and it was all a lie? Part of some sinister plot to seduce an angel?”

“No, Victor as soon as I found out it stopped I—“

“So if I hadn’t been an angel, then what? You would have bedded me and taken my soul that night? Do you think you saved me and I should be thanking you?” Victor spat out his words like a poison and went to leave the bed. With a wave of his hand, Yuuri sent the angel against the headboard, his arms secured at his sides.

“Let me go!” Victor shouted, struggling as Yuuri stumbled toward him, pulling his head away from the demon’s outstretched hand.

It was ten minutes to midnight when Yuuri pulled Victor into another strong kiss, never hearing the rest of the angel’s protests. His hand trembled as his fingers laced through the short silver locks of Victor’s hair, Yuuri’s lips quivered as he finally pulled away.

Breathless, Victor watched as Yuuri stood from the bed and made his way to the dressed where he pulled open the top drawer.

“I did it to protect you. I thought if nobody knew that I knew who you were, that there was an angel present on Earth, you would be safe and perhaps you would fall in love with me despite who I am.”

The demon turned from the dresser slowly, his hands outstretched in front of him with a cloth laid across his arms. There, nestled in the folds of fabric shone Lucifer’s angel blade, forged from the light of Heaven itself. It was impossible to mistake what lay in his lover’s hands as Victor gasped, panic filling him as he looked to Yuuri who hung his head down in shame as his voice continued to tremble.

“They found out, Victor. They-they ordered me to take your life, to remove your light from the world or they would do it themselves. Either way, I would lose you, the world would lose you, what a cross to bear.”

“Yuuri, please...no!” Victor cried out as the demon settled between his outstretched legs, kneeling as he positioned the blade between them.

“Yuuri! Yuuri look at me! You don’t have to do this! I can’t love you if I’m dead, please Yuuri!”

It was a scream in the dark, high like the notes of a flute with a desperation to it that sounded hoarse as it echoed from the angel's throat. Never ceasing, Victor continued to shriek and cry out, his body struggling against invisible ties as Yuuri finally tilted his chin up to face him, a soft melancholy smile on his lips.

“I love you, Victor. You are the only soul I have ever loved, please forgive me.”

The clock struck midnight as Yuuri wrapped one hand firmly around the golden handle of the blade as the other guided Victor’s lips to his own. In the final seconds, with his confession still tainting his lips as they tangled greedily with the angel’s, leaving unfulfilled promises and declarations in their wake, Yuuri moved his hand and plunged the blade into its target, shattering their world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are down to the final chapters! You’ll get your happy ending-I promise. 
> 
> In the meanwhile feel free to scream and yell at me in the comments or come find me on [Tumblr](https://thewaywardsong.tumblr.com/) where I post all my writing updates and art.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	9. Day of Judgement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for hanging on with me after last chapter, just one more to go!
> 
> Big thanks as usual to FromStarlightToDust because without her tremendous beta and motivational work it would take me even longer to accomplish things.

_For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment._

_2 Peter 2:4-9_

Death was never something that had been at the forefront of Victor’s mind. Being an angel, the chance was so slim that he would ever face death himself, that it wasn’t even a topic that Yakov has brushed over. As a cherub, little Yuri had asked about it once.

 

“What happens when the angels die?”

 

Yakov bristled at that, but after a few hundred years both he and Victor had gotten used to the young angel’s rather dark inquisitions. 

 

“There’s only one way to kill an angel,” Yakov responded in his disgruntled timbre. “Same way that you kill a demon, pierce them with an angel blade. Right through the heart.”

 

Yuri snorted. “Stupid. I’m not going to get killed the same way as some useless demon!”

 

“Demons and angels are the same,” Yakov replied. “We just chose to follow different paths, if they weren’t filled with sin they would be here right alongside us. We are made the same, we can die the same.”

 

Victor had listened to the conversation, bristling that Yakov could compare angels and demons so casually, to list them as one and the same. Faced with death head on, at the hand of a demon, Yakov’s words came back to him. 

 

_ We are made the same, we can die the same. _

 

“Yuuri!”

 

The name stretched on into the night, swallowed by Victor’s own screams that followed. Screams that fell to sobs as Yuuri’s hand plunged, guiding Lucifer’s blade right to its target, right through his own heart. Nestled between Victor’s legs, Yuuri’s lifeless form fell forward and as soon as the sharp blade of light coursed through his chest, his power over Victor fell and the angel’s arms lurched forward to catch him. 

 

“Yuuri, speak to me, Yuuri! You’re fine, it’s going to be okay I’m going to use my blessing and everything is going to be fine!”

 

Victor muttered softly to the corpse in his arms, his words running together as he laid Yuuri’s body out and desperately brushed the soft black mess of hair away from his lover’s face. Eyes wide open, glassy and dark but without the light and mischievous spark that always came from Yuuri’s gaze, he was haunting to look at. Blade of light still stuck in his chest cavity, blood like ink staining the demon’s shirt and the sheets on which he laid. 

 

“I forgive you, Yuuri. I love you.”

 

Desperately Victor pressed his lips against Yuuri’s chilling form and when he pulled away, he noticed the state of his own body. Light shone through him, through his skin, illuminating the room brighter and brighter until it was almost enough to blind him. Victor felt his wings unfurl once more, fully visible and shining brightly while soft hues of color twinkled around him, becoming less translucent as the light continued to consume the room. 

 

Victor held tightly to Yuuri’s still body as he felt a tingling sensation course throughout his own, sending him on a sort of ethereal high in which the angel wasn’t sure where he ended and the light began. Somewhere in the mess of things, the smooth skin of Yuuri’s back and the softness of his hair managed to ground Victor as the room around him began to disappear, marble pillars and golden gates taking its place.

 

The angel was at Heaven’s gate, knelt down in the clouds, his wings unfurled around himself, cocooned in his own feathers. Victor grasped the ground around him—

 

Yuuri was gone. 

 

Victor searched around him until his lost blue eyes found Georgi, the gatekeeper who saw him off on his journey, the first one to see him return. 

 

“V-Victor? You’re covered in…”

 

Georgi’s words staccatoed out of him until he stopped trying to speak and merely gestured down at Victor, fiddling with the gate to let him inside Heaven’s realm. Following the gatekeeper’s startled expression, the angel found his clothes gone, his naked form covered in the ink of Yuuri’s blood. 

 

“Get Yakov.”

 

Georgi dragged an immobilized Victor through Heaven’s gates and sounded his horn for Yakov. The gruff angel appeared only moments later and with Yuri’s aid, managed to bring Victor to his home and get him in the tub. 

 

“Victor, what happened?”

 

It wasn’t the first time Yakov had asked, but just like the prior questions he received no answer. Victor was mute from shock, submerged in the bath up to his nose, refusing to move even when the murky water began to turn cold. He sat there, in the mix of holy water and the stain of Yuuri’s blood while Yakov looked on. When he got out, Victor knew what would happen, it was only a matter of time before they would figure it out anyway. He would have to go in front of the council, face their judgement on his actions, and face punishment for his sins.

 

After what felt like hours, the shock began to settle. Numb as he was, Victor managed to eavesdrop on the conversations around him. 

 

“Yakov, what happened?”

 

“Something caused his blessing to manifest, it’s the only reason he would be brought back to Heaven so soon.”

 

“But what was it?”

 

“I’m not sure, Yura...we will have to wait for him to tell us.”

 

Yakov retired from watching Victor, but Yuri took his place, perched on a chair that he transpired with ease. The younger angel wasn’t one for sentiment but it pulled at Victor’s heart to see the fear in Yuri’s eyes as he watched over him. Chills began to settle in his spine, the water past the point of a comfortable temperature.

 

“Yuri will you...bring me a robe?” Victor managed with a croak. Green eyes wide, Yuri nodded and hastily retreated from the room only to return moments later clutching a towel in one hand and Victor’s own silken robe in the other. With Yuri’s help, Victor managed to stand on his own two legs while he dried off, those watchful green eyes asking questions that were silent on the young angel’s lips.

 

“He’s gone Yuri.”

 

“What are you talking about old man?”

 

Victor sank to the floor, barely concealed under his robe, his back against the white door as he slid down onto the marble tiles. Silver hair caught in his hands, the angel doubled over on himself and sobs began to rack through his body. 

 

“Yura, I met a demon on Earth but it was just like Yakov said, we are the same.”

 

“You’re insane. You didn’t get any fancy blessing, you just went crazy and you got zapped back up. Is that it? Was it so hard down there that you couldn’t handle it?”

 

Yuri’s words were harsh but had Victor looked up he would have seen the fear reflected in those emerald eyes. Those eyes that never left the older angel even when the words were so filled with spite. 

 

“No, Yuri. I discovered love. Real love. Not the kind that we have here, out of obligation, the kind I got to choose and let blossom on its own. I didn’t realize it until it was too late, until he died for me. He saved me Yuri.”

 

Silently, the younger angel watched as Victor crumpled once again, his sobs resounding off the high ceilings, echoing around the two in a languid symphony. 

 

“I’m going to get Yakov.”

 

—

 

Robes laid across Victor’s shoulders, shrouding him from Yakov who sat across from the hunched angel patiently tapping his fingertips against one another, while Yuri hovered at a bookshelf pretending to be interested in a leather bound book of Psalms. Silence hung in the air ominously while the three angels in the room all ignored the others’ presence, a vain attempt to ignore Victor’s unspoken trial.

 

“He’s gone.”

 

The words came out just loud enough to be heard across the room, still cracked and broken much like the angel that uttered them. Yakov kept his face stoic, only a slight raise of his brow gave away his surprise at Victor’s first words. He held his tongue while dull blues strayed away from his cup, looking up for the first time since he had been dragged out to the sitting area.

 

“You were right, Yakov. They are just like us, trying to fulfill their fates the best they can and always trying to make the right choice.”

 

“What are you talking about, Vitya?” Yakov responded gruffly, Yuri had alerted him that Victor was responsive and spouting nonsense but he hadn’t been sure the extent of it.

 

“The demons, Yakov.”

 

“You met a demon?”

 

“What sort of joke was my quest? Was nobody keeping tabs on what I was doing? I nearly lose my innocence to an actual demon-not just any demon either, the actual demon of  _ Lust _ itself and the all seeing eyes of Heaven had their heads turned!” 

 

Victor’s voice grew louder, cracking less along with the volume while his posture righted itself and his eyes blazed straight ahead. His grip on his cup grew tight with frustration, white-knuckled like it was all he had left in the world, in the moment it almost was. A farce of a quest, a broken heart right after learning what love was, to return to a home where nobody was watching or caring. 

 

“Vitya,” Yakov replied, his voice a soft tremor, “I was watching, as much as I could, I’m not God I—”

 

Silver bangs fell over Victor’s forehead once again, effectively dismissing Yakov’s words. Neither said anything for what felt like hours, each looking at the floor until the youngest member of their party spoke up.

 

“You’re an idiot.”

 

“Yuri—” Yakov began to scold, silenced with a sharp look from the blond. 

 

“No, he is. A stupid old man. It’s not Yakov’s job to babysit you, Victor. You aren’t the only angel with a future and I’m going to be an archangel before you stop having your  _ stupid _ pity party.

 

“I thought you were some great angel,  _ the  _ virtue of music and you were  _ always _ destined for something bigger and better. You look more like a pitiful human, with your dumb short hair  and you’re hunched up like you’ve never had wings before. 

 

“I think you’re nothing. Prove me wrong, old man.”

 

Yuri waltzed around the room, hands flying throughout his rant, his blessing knocking over books and trinkets as he conjured up a small storm worthy of his spiteful words. He ended his fit in front of Victor, eyes locked fiercely through a few strands of hair that stubbornly clung to his damp forehead. For a moment neither moved, Victor knew Yuri was right, it wasn’t Yakov’s job to watch his every move and hold his hand, he was to be an archangel and his decisions were his own. Yakov had given everything to let Victor live out his dream and in return he had been selfish and ungrateful.

 

“You’re right.”

 

“Of course, I’m-what?” Yuri looked at Victor incredulously, the brashness of his voice giving way to momentary confusion as Victor gave in to the torment of his words. The silver angel offered a soft smile and shook his head.

 

“You’re right, Yura. I have nobody to blame but myself, I fell in love with a demon. It was his spell at first, even a strong angel would have trouble resisting such temptation but it was when he exchanged his spell for his heart that I was taken away.”

 

Victor rose from his chair, shedding the many robes onto the ground as he unfurled his wings in a newfound glory, stretching them to the rafters of the room. He crossed quickly, kneeling in front of his mentor who looked on in awe at the uncharacteristic act of submission as his most stubborn angel fell before him in a low bow. 

 

“I think I’m ready to give my report now, Yakov. There’s no sense in prolonging this any further.”

 

“You’re not stable, Vitya. Wait another day, there is no rush.”

 

Shaking his head, Victor brushed away the hand that Yakov offered him. Yuri was right, he deserved no sympathy. 

 

“Let’s do this now. They’re already waiting, aren’t they?”

 

Nobody spoke, nobody needed to. Victor set his neck on the board of the guillotine, making his way to the council for his judgement day.

 

—

 

“The council recognizes Victor, virtue of music, please step forward.”

 

For the second time in his millennia of life, Victor marched into the golden odeum of the council chambers. Dressed in a simple white cloth, bare feet slapping against the marble and gold floors, the lights danced off of his silver hair while the noise of the archangels settled around him. 

 

Michael and Gabriel grinned at him from their perch at the front of the room and when Victor swept down to his knees, the room fell silent. Victor could feel every eye in the room turned toward him, every judgemental thought swimming above his head, and wondered briefly what it would be like to be back on Earth. He could imagine himself tucked away in bed with Yuuri, refusing to face the waning morning while the sun tickled across their faces and made Yuuri’s nose scrunch up. What he wouldn’t give to see how the light danced in those amber eyes, dark enough to draw Victor in and light enough that he always felt safe looking into them. 

 

It was the boom of Gabriel’s voice that brought him back, his knees pressed against the cold marble as a testament to the reality he was currently in. Judgement day for the legend turned disaster.

 

“Victor, you find yourself on the floor of the council after your months spent on Earth. You were sent to discover your true power, to manifest your blessing through the love and care of humanity. How has your quest proven you? I hear you have achieved your manifestation but you did not immediately seek the council for your right to rank.”

 

The words were for his audience, Gabriel loved the drama of it all with such a fervor that it put even Victor to shame. Victor continued to study the floor, letting the head archangels have their moments of due process before he plead his case.

 

“Victor, you partook in thoughts of sin and what do you have to show for your time on Earth? You have found favor, not with humanity or with your heavenly brethren, but with the presence of a demon I hear?” Gabriel spoke in questions but the meaning was clear, perhaps they hadn’t been so diligently watching as to pull Victor away, but they had seen everything. Victor couldn’t help but to think of his first night at the strip club and his engagement in sin thereafter. 

 

“Not just any demon, brother!” Michael sang, he may not be the showman that Gabriel was but it was apparent the delight they took in Victor’s guilt. “You spent your nights beside one of the seven deadly sins, an angel created solely to contain Lucifer’s sin! Victor, how do you plea to these accusations?”

 

Victor wouldn’t grovel on the floor. He had spent his time lying around plenty since his arrival the night before, he wouldn’t continue that for a second longer. Instead the angel rose up, chin pointed ahead as he bravely faced the council.

 

“It’s true.” Victor replied, no waiver in his voice as he confirmed the accusations. More than one archangel in attendance gasped at the admission while the rest fell into stunned silence at Yakov’s pride and joy fraternizing with a deadly sin.

 

“Demons are just like us, created for a sole purpose, never having a choice in the matter. It’s true I fell under Lust’s spell, but the demon, Yuuri, he made a choice. He chose to lift his power over me, to forsake his duties, and he saved me.”

 

“Saved you?” Gabriel cried out with a choke of laughter. “One of our most promising angels had to be saved by one of Lucifer’s lapdogs! Tell me, Victor, how did your demon save you?”

 

Michael, though normally the reserved one of the pair, chuckled along with his brother. 

 

“Yes Victor, did he seduce all the other demons away from you? What blasphemy!”

 

To his credit, Victor’s stance never wavered. He held his chin and chest proudly, hands clasped behind his back while he received their ridicule. Had he received this treatment mere months ago, it would have broken him, he had been so tied up with what others thought of him, after all he was to be one of the greatest, fulfilling a destiny that he forged for himself over thousands of years. 

 

Instead, Victor thought of Yuuri, he thought of the light fading from his dark eyes as he took the blade that was meant for Victor. If this ridicule was Victor’s repentance, it was nothing compared to holding Yuuri’s lifeless body in his arms, to have his blood soak the sheets around him, ink black and spilling over. The memory Victor’s true penance, nothing the archangels could transpire would compare. 

 

“He did more for me than any of you!” Victor cried out, startling the two chortling archangels at the head of the room. Even Gabriel fell silent at the outburst, which Victor took as permission to continue.

 

“It’s true. I fell under a demon’s spell, not just any demon but one of the seven deadly sins themselves, I succumbed to Lust. I came close to acting on it as well, that part is true as well, but after he realized who I was, Yuuri removed his power over me. 

 

“You sit here, sycophants on velvet sofas, surrounded by gold but you forget how we got here. You and I were born out of necessity, same as the demons, at our core we are the same. This demon, Yuuri, his heart was in the same place as mine and somehow we found love. In spite of our differences, in spite of the paths laid out for us, we found it. I found a love more true than any love I’ve felt before, a love born not from necessity, but from choice.

 

“Our paths may have been lain for us, his in Hell and mine in Heaven, but we made different choices. When he was faced with a choice that would end in my death, he gave his own life just to save me. That’s more worthy of a position in our ranks than anything I’ve seen before and here you make me stand here while you pretend like you bothered watching any of it, like you know what happened. 

 

“Yuuri, demon of Lust, gave his life for mine and I love him.”

 

Victor finished his speech, his breath nearly failing him as he uttered his final words. Tears pricked at his eyes, daring him to blink and allow them to fall for all to see. And he did. Silver tears trickled down his face, not of sorrow, no he was not mourning as he stood before the council. They were tears of passion, of pain, of ferocity as he defended Yuuri with every breath he had left in him. 

 

The archangels looked on, still in their stunned stupor. Had it been a lighter situation, Victor would have enjoyed the look on Gabriel and Michael’s faces as they tried to come up with a response. The pair were saved by the sound of a horn, three sharp blasts followed by one low note that announced the arrival of something more fearsome than the head archangels. 

 

Every head in the room turned toward the golden gate where Mila stood, dressed in robes of crimson that matched the flames that adorned her head. She smiled at the crowd rather pleasantly, as if it were completely normal for her to interrupt angelic trials. 

 

“Mila, What brings you to the council? We are in the middle of a trial.” It was Michael who broke the silence, more composed than his brother but the strain in his voice was evident. 

 

“I don’t think a seraphim needs permission to do her Father’s bidding does she?” Mila retorted, the angels seated above gasped at her words though the red robe should have been clue enough. Seraphims were the only angel’s closer to God that the archangels themselves, their true form so fearsome that not even the bravest angel dared to lay eyes on them. Made from fire, they seldom made appearances where the other angels walked and many of their duties were unknown to many ranks of angels. 

 

At Mila’s response, Michael sat down and found Gabriel’s hand clutched tight to his shoulder. The seraphim beamed at their response, focusing her attentions to Victor. 

 

“Come with me, Victor. You’re done here, all is forgiven.”

 

Resting a hand on Victor’s shoulder she let out a satisfied hum, beckoning the angel to follow her as they made their way through the corridor and towards to golden doors.

 

“Wait, Mila, you were—”

 

“Watching. Always watching, even when you’d rather I didn’t.”

 

Both angels blushed at the insinuation and Victor allowed himself to process the turn of events. Becoming an archangel, it was all he had dreamed of, his every desire for so long and yet now that it was finally in his grasp he felt...empty. It wasn’t the feeling he expected, the melancholy hole where his star heart burned brightly inside. 

 

“You knew he was a demon?”

 

Diverting her eyes, Mila nodded. “I did.”

 

“You never stopped me though?”

 

“I didn’t,” she confirmed with the tiniest of smiles.

 

Victor paused, causing the seraphim to stop in her tracks and turn toward him. Before he could speak, Mila answered his question, “He knows every choice you make before you make it, Victor.”

 

“Even this one?”

 

“He is already expecting you.”

 

Victor held out his hand and with a nod, Mila took it and led him out the doors. Leaping into the air, their wings unfurled as they made their way to the place where light shone the brightest, where He was waiting.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading, you have no idea how much your comments and kudos mean to me. I adore you all!
> 
> One more chapter to go! Come find me, my art, and my writing on [Tumblr](https://TheWaywardSong.tumblr.com/).


	10. Above All

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We made it. Please note the added tags-Sappy thank yous to follow!
> 
> -Thank you all for sticking with me through finals, job changes, and writer's blocks. Your kudos and comments have meant the world to me, I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.
> 
> -Thank you to my amazing beta, FromStarlightToDust. Without you this fic would have never made it off my computer and I would have never been so inpired and motivated to finish this. This is how it all started, I'm glad I found my OTF.

_ "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." _

_ 1 Peter 4:8 _

Victor woke up to sunlight on his face and a familiar warmth beside him, Yuuri slept soundly even though the sun danced around his eyes and on his skin, serene smile on his face. As beautiful as Yuuri was, it was the gold band reflecting the light onto the wall that made Victor’s heart flutter. 

 

It was the most beautiful sight in the entire world, at least to Victor, and just like every morning he couldn’t help but sneak closer, pressing a featherlight kiss onto Yuuri’s temple. Just like every morning, it was that dainty kiss that finally caused Yuuri to stir. It started with a scrunch of his nose, a flutter of eyelashes, until finally those warm, dark eyes admitted it was morning. 

 

Victor was the first thing Yuuri saw and a smile erupted across his face, as bright and beaming as the sunlight trickling in. It never failed to take Victor’s breathe away. 

 

“Good morning  _ solnyshko _ ,” Victor purred as Yuuri rolled into the blankets, tucking himself against Victor’s chest with a good morning grunt in response. Victor wondered if Yuuri could hear his heart pounding beneath his rib cage, like it did every day since that first morning. 

 

The first morning Yuuri woke up beside Victor with a startled gasp of breath. It took several minutes for Victor to calm him down and explain the situation. After all, it wasn’t every day that Yuuri woke up from the dead, free of the devil’s burden, tucked under the covers beside a former archangel.  Though, Victor wasn’t sure if he could actually be considered a former  _ archangel _ given that he only held the rank for a sum of hours. 

 

Mila hadn’t lied. When Victor knelt before God as the newest archangel, He already knew why Victor was there and asked only one question.

 

“Do you love him?”

 

God’s voice was a warm presence, a light that Victor felt with every fiber of his being, and there was no need for the angel to respond. The question, the answer, everything was written before it happened. Victor’s fate was sealed the day he was born by God’s own hand. It was always his destiny to become an archangel, but it was never his destiny to stay that way. 

 

Victor gave up his wings, his blessing, his lifelong dream and for so long, his sole purpose, and in return God breathed life back into Yuuri, taking with him the burden of years of sin.  The Yuuri who woke up beside Victor, drawing in oxygen for the first time to human lungs, wasn’t a demon, no longer the very embodiment of deadly sin. Neither man had power or blessing, neither one held position in Heaven or Hell, as above so below, they were free. 

 

Every day was like the first, three years didn’t seem so long when there was a millennia of lost time to make up for. Not everything changed right then and there, Yuuri still danced, Victor still played in the piano bar, and the loft above the bar was still Victor’s to call home. He assumed Mila had something to do with that one, a parting gift from Heaven. 

 

Victor did have one last request before he retired his wings, his final duty as angel. 

 

“What time is the performance?” Yuuri mumbled into Victor’s chest. 

 

“Eight o’clock, we’ll have to do an early dinner but we have plenty of time,” Victor promised. 

 

Yuuri hummed happily in response, “I don’t know how they managed to get the opening night of the show to be for tonight.”

 

Victor kissed the ruffled top of Yuuri’s head, letting his nose linger in the scent that was purely Yuuri. 

 

“I think,” he murmured against Yuuri’s forehead, “that the director of the biggest off-Broadway dance  _ extravaganza _ has some pull on when the show opens.”

 

“Phichit said it’s an anniversary present.”

 

“Well, the show  _ is _ based on our story.”

 

Victor cleared his throat and did his best impression of the announcer at Yuuri’s stripclub, “As Above So Below, the story of the angel who fell in love with a demon—”

 

Giggling, Yuuri rolled back from Victor’s chest to join in, “and chose true love over even Heaven itself!”

 

Both men chuckled until laughter fell to gentle touches, to tender kisses, until Victor was covering Yuuri with his body. Enveloping him with tangled limbs and hot breaths along his neck that made Yuuri’s toes curl with pleasure.

 

Yuuri may have been the experienced one, but Victor was a fast learner with the mouth of, well, an angel. They had both come to the agreement that none of the past counted, Yuuri had a brand new body, even though it looked like the vessel he had first charmed Victor with. 

 

“Viiiiictor,” Yuuri whined as Victor dove under the covers, his lips still making their way slowly down his body. For Yuuri sex had always been to the point, quick and emotionally painless. Victor liked things slower, he worshipped Yuuri’s body and peeled him apart piece by piece until he was completely unraveled and desperate, just like Yuuri had left him before.

 

“Do you want me to stop?” Victor popped back up from under the covers, playful mischief dancing in those clear blue eyes. Yuuri smiled sheepishly and shook his head, Victor wasted no time in diving back under the covers and seconds later Yuuri felt the heat of his tongue tracing his hip bones, flicking lower while Victor’s hands wandered north. 

 

Warm and wet, Victor’s mouth found its target just as his hands did. A gentle caress of Yuuri’s nipples as he pushed down his boxers and devoured him to the hilt, had Yuuri arching off the bed with a gasping moan. Victor’s head slowly began to bob beneath the covers, moving at a tantalizingly slow pace, his tongue dancing along the length until he had Yuuri panting with frustration. 

 

He popped off for a moment, puckering his lips and blowing a soft stream of air onto the slicked skin, a cooling sensation on the already sensitive member. The groan he received in response was delightful, causing his own erection to pulse as he dove back down. Victor felt the covers drag away from his shoulders, his bangs a static disarray but he kept a steady pace, eyes diverting up now that he was under Yuuri’s watchful eye. Lips still curved around the length, he grinned and one of his hands came down to join him in worshipping Yuuri’s cock. 

 

“Vitya,” Yuuri whined, his voice barely more than a whisper in the back of his throat.

 

That was always Victor’s undoing, hearing his name roll of his lover’s tongue just like a prayer, intimate and spoken for only him to hear. Much to Yuuri’s chagrin, Victor slowly drew off and kissed his way back up to the soft skin where his neck met his shoulder. Victor couldn’t help himself, he suckled against the supple flesh, proud of the mark he left behind, dark against Yuuri’s golden skin. 

 

“Unravel me Yuuri,” Victor purred in his ear, eliciting a responding moan as Yuuri flipped them around, an arm pressed against the pillow on either side of Victor’s head while they devoured each other, tongues tangling, quick gasps of air, before they dove back together. The dance was familiar but never the same, but Victor loved when Yuuri took over, leading him, teaching him, praising him. 

 

Yuuri pulled away for a moment, his body shifting as he made his way toward the dresser where they kept the lube. Victor grabbed his arm, pulling the man closer and thwarting his plans.

 

“Victor, we need—”

 

Victor slipped a hand under his pillow and grinned impishly as he pulled a bottle out from underneath. A breathless laugh, a pointed look, and Yuuri dove back in, his mouth continuing his assault while his hand expertly snapped the cap open. They paused while Yuuri drizzled lube on his fingers and reached between Victor’s legs, his lover’s hooded gaze and teeth pulling on swollen lips were sign enough that he was ready and the first finger slowly began to intrude.

 

Even without the mask of Heaven’s grace, Victor was angelically stunning. Sharp angles and cascading silver hair, which he still kept short even after he became more acquainted with human hair care, he was an absolute vision and Yuuri would never tire of seeing him come apart underneath him. 

 

Preparation was always slow and languid, an intimate pace despite Victor’s desperate gasps and pleas. Eventually a second finger joined the first, stretching slowly until a third pushed against his prostate. Yuuri loved having sex in the sunlight, when he could see how swollen, red, and wanting Victor’s cock became even though he had yet to touch him. While he refrained from dwelling on the idea too much, there was no doubt that sex with Victor was unlike anything he had experienced before. A layer of love wrapped around each touch, each kiss, and an orgasm was an eruption of intimacy and affection that left them in a satiated bliss. 

 

Yuuri chased that feeling, opening Victor up as he worshipped his lips, his body, every surface that he could press his lips to. They continued like that until Yuuri felt Victor clench tighter around him, his moans coming closer together, his cock visibly throbbing and leaking across his stomach. 

 

One by one, Yuuri pulled his fingers away, refraining from chuckling as Victor groaned at the absence. It only took a moment for him to line himself up, but he remained perched with his head at Victor’s entrance for another moment, enjoying the way he squirmed beneath him.

 

“Patience is a virtue, Vitya,” Yuuri reminded him, slowly thrusting so his cock slipped above the puckered hole and dragged against Victor’s perineum. 

 

It was Victor’s turn to whine and he did so with gusto, Yuuri’s name elongating and curling around the Russian accent that Victor kept when he gave up his angel status. It was Yuuri’s favorite sound in the world, to hear his name cried out so broken and desperate. It  _ was _ their anniversary, so he took pity on the man writhing under him and with a sharp thrust, he finally pressed himself inside. The moan he received in response was always worth it and he couldn’t help but let one of his own slip out as well.

 

“God, Vitya.”

 

Under him, Victor stilled, even in the heat of sex he deadpanned at Yuuri above him. 

 

“Please don’t say my father’s name while you’re  _ inside _ of me.”

 

With a bark of laughter, Yuri thrusted sharply, right into Victor’s prostate, which he had learned was the most effective way to get things back on track.

 

Victor’s legs wrapped around him, pulling Yuuri closer with each thrust, bucking his own hips up to meet each snap. It was a lovely symphony of slick sex, slapping skin, punctuated with drawn out moans that increased in volume and decreased in length as they chased their pleasure together. 

 

At a languid pace, Yuuri could have kept things up for hours, truly breaking Victor apart into fragments beneath him, but they would need to get ready soon and Victor’s cock was already visibly throbbing, crying out for attention. Yuuri wrapped one hand around the needy length and matched the snap of his hips with the tug of his hand, swiping up the precum from Victor’s head to lubricate the motion. Breathless pants grew quicker, thrusts came closer together, and  Yuuri could feel Victor growing tighter around him, he knew things wouldn’t last much longer. 

 

“Come for me, my sweet angel,” he whispered into Victor’s ear, sending a chill down Victor’s spine as he obeyed, spurred on by his favorite pet name. 

 

Surrounded by the tight, throbbing heat, it was only seconds after that Yuuri followed suit, painting ribbons inside of Victor that matched those the former angel had strewn across himself. 

 

They came off the high of pleasure slowly and together, peppering the moment with slow, deep kisses and gentle caresses until Yuuri finally pulled out and curled himself around Victor. 

 

They could have laid like that for hours, but the cooling liquid on Victor’s stomach and the clock ticks reminding them of their other obligations was enough to spur them onward. After all, it wasn’t just their lives that had changed the day Victor gave up Heaven. 

 

The blessing he had left was given to Chris and Phichit, as a thank you for the part they played in grand scheme of things, and Phichit was given the full story of Victor and Yuuri’s identities. In a move that was purely Phichit, the man dedicated the following year to composing the ballet that told Victor and Yuuri’s love story, with some consultation from the lovers themselves. It was only fitting that the lead role of the forlorn angel was given to the very man who the angel was sent to protect. Christophe landed his first major role before Phichit finished the show, and it had certainly helped the buzz around the show to escalate. 

 

Three years of blood, sweat, and tears were on the stage that evening and the story was told perfectly, right down to the pole based ballet routine that depicted when Yuuri first seduced Victor. Yuuri blushed in the audience, thankful for the dark especially when Victor whistled and leaned over to whisper in his ear. 

 

“I think we should reenact  _ that _ scene at home.”

 

Watching their story play out on stage was bittersweet, to see the struggles they went through, it was painful three years later to watch the actor who played the demon fall forward on his own blade and Victor squeezed Yuuri’s hand tightly during the scene. At the same time, it was beautiful to see how much they had overcome, to where they were, two simple humans able to love like anyone else. Not that their life was completely normal, Yakov and Yuri stopped by from time to time. Since Victor’s scandalous departure from Heaven, the structure of the angels had changed and Yuri was brought into the archangel ranks without the ridiculous tests of before, based purely on his merit and demonstrations as an angel thus far. Victor still thought there was room for growth in that sour attitude, but Yuri had befriended another angel, Otabek, who was helping him manage his temper.

 

It was nearing midnight when the pair made it home, stumbling through the door in the dark with their lips locked, Victor fumbling against walls to keep them upright.

 

“Twice in a day, Mr. Katsuki?” Victor laughed as Yuuri’s hands moved quickly to unbutton his shirt. 

 

Yuuri had given himself the last name he once had when he had used the physical body of the onsenkeeper’s son, a way to honor them and give himself a sense of humanity in his new bearings.

 

“Won’t be the first time, Mr. Katsuki,” Yuuri responded, pressing Victor against the door as he dropped to his knees. Victor’s laugh turned into a gasp as his husband pushed clothing aside and hungrily took him. 

 

As an angel, Victor was never concerned with happily ever after or fairytale endings, but as a human he knew he had found just that. Yuuri was his first and final real love, his husband, his saving grace, and his happily ever after. 

 

“I love you,” Victor promised Yuuri, when they found each other in the same situation as that morning, clothingless and clinging tightly to each other, this time under the light of the moon. 

 

“I love you,” Yuuri responded in kind, offering up another kiss as they both closed their eyes and let the sweet blessing of sleep take them in. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all again, so much! Your support truly means the world. 
> 
> If you liked this fic, come find me on [Tumblr](https://thewaywardsong.tumblr.com/). I have a few things in the works that I can't wait to share with you!
> 
> I told you I believe in happy endings, I hope I didn't disappoint!


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